Photosynthesis is a fundamental biochemical process that converts light into chemical energy stored in carbohydrates, forming the basis of all complex life. Despite its importance, traditional teaching methods often present photosynthesis as a context-free biochemical mechanism, which many students find too abstract to be engaging. This perception can reduce motivation and increase the risk of misconceptions. Teachers also report difficulties in teaching the topic. This thesis proposes that linking photosynthesis instruction to societal and sustainability contexts can make learning more meaningful and address common misunderstandings. The goal is to develop a scientifically grounded teaching design that fosters photosynthesis literacy: a form of scientific literacy that equips students with powerful photosynthesis knowledge for a well informed citizenship.

The thesis comprises four sub-studies. The first develops a theoretical model for photosynthesis literacy, drawing on three conceptualisations of scientific literacy. It argues that integrating elements from all three is essential for cultivating students’ deep understanding. The second sub-study, a Delphi study, translates this model into a framework of 25 content areas with corresponding learning objectives. This framework incorporates both conceptual clarity and contextual relevance. In the third sub-study, a design study conducted with two biology teachers transforms the framework into a ten-lesson teaching design. The fourth sub-study evaluates the impact of this design through a quasi-experiment using a custom questionnaire aligned with the framework’s objectives. Students who participated in the new teaching design performed significantly better than those in the control group.

Qualitative data from interviews and classroom observations identified four potential success factors of the teaching design explaining the positive results: authentic experiences, fascination and wonder, student-centred learning, and collaborative engagement.

The thesis demonstrates that a systematic transformation of an academic discipline content into student-adapted pedagogy can enhance learning outcomes and shape powerful knowledge, in this case about photosynthesis.

The martensitic tool steel grades are designed for various working environments. Their microstructure is continuously upgraded through composition development or processing techniques. These advancements introduce new types of defects, making fatigue response investigations critically important for industry.The present study includes the investigation of six advanced high strength tool steels in terms of microstructure, common defects, and fatigue performance in high and very high cycle fatigue regimes. The materials include: i) cold work tool steels (high alloyed materials manufactured via powder metallurgy processed by hot isostatic pressing and forging) and ii) hot work tool steels (conventionally produced by ingot cast and forging or additive manufacturing). Steel grades are compared based on strengths, martensitic structures, defect distributions, and fatigue strength using experimental results and the Murakami model. Also, a deeper analysis of the fatigue phenomena and mechanisms occurring during fatigue is attempted; characterization of fatigue initiation defects, the FGA, the fish-eye, as well as the crack propagation for the different microstructures are the main discussed subjects. The goal of the present study is to provide valuable insights to optimize martensitic tool steels for high and very high cycle fatigue applications.

This thesis explores the interaction between dyslexia and giftedness in primary school students identified as twice-exceptional (2e). Gifted students with dyslexia may mask their reading and writing difficulties, and vice versa, making both identification and support challenging. 

The thesis examines how giftedness can mask dyslexia in screening and school practice, and how tests, rating scales, and classroom support address this complex profile. The thesis addresses five research questions concerning (1) the ability of reading and spelling tests to identify dyslexia in gifted students, (2) how giftedness may mask decoding difficulties, (3) the predictive value of Nissen´s rating scales for giftedness, (4) what support students receive, and (5) how they describe their text-related challenges and strategies. The theoretical framework combines the Differentiating Model of Giftedness and Talent with the Simple View of Reading. 

Twenty-four students, aged 10 to 16, participated in the study. All of them were identified as gifted, and many were diagnosed with dyslexia. Quantitative data from DLS and LOGOS reading and spelling tests were combined with rating scales for giftedness and qualitative interviews. 

Results show that although most students perform within the normal range on reading comprehension, all display weak decoding and spelling skills, indicating stealth dyslexia. Teachers often rated students below the giftedness threshold, while significant correlations emerged between students’ and guardians’ ratings. Interviews reveal that support for gifted students with dyslexia is often inadequate; their literacy difficulties mask their strengths, resulting in a lack of support for both areas. 

The findings underline the need for more nuanced identification and differentiated instruction that address both literacy challenges and giftedness. Assessment practices should consider multiple perspectives and recognise spelling as a key indicator of dyslexia, even when reading comprehension seems intact. 

The aim of this thesis is to gain a deeper understanding of mentoring conversations as sites of professional knowledge-building. Specifically, the study seeks to identify the principles and processes that enable the formation and transformation of subject-specific knowledge of writing in Swedish as a first language (L1) in secondary education.   

The empirical material consists of 15 mentoring conversations from eight mentor–student pairs and interviews with all participants. The analyses draw on Ivanič’s (2004) framework of writing discourses and Legitimation Code Theory (Maton, 2014), which together clarify the relationship between knowledge and language.       

Findings show that the mentoring conversations provide opportunities to develop knowledge about text types, linguistic structures, and teaching approaches such as genre-based, skills-oriented, and process-oriented writing instruction. However, creative, cognitive, social-practice, and sociopolitical dimensions of writing are rarely addressed. The conversations are characterised by everyday representations, strong contextual anchoring, and conceptually simple reasoning. The study suggests that mentoring dialogue as a resource for building knowledge could be enhanced through semantic shifts from specific and concrete to general and abstract. Furthermore, comprehensive knowledge in writing pedagogy is more likely to develop when teaching content and methods are specified and integrated within a broader repertoire of writing discourses, supported by explicit pedagogical reasoning and networks of subject concepts.       

The thesis offers research-based perspectives on mentoring conversations as sites for knowledge-building in Swedish language education, with possible relevance for other school subjects and contexts. It also informs ongoing discussions about the types of knowledge Swedish language teachers need to support students’ writing development.

Near-net shape manufacturing using powder metallurgy (PM) and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) enables the production of fully isotropic components with control over microstructure and mechanical properties. This approach supports the manufacture of high-performance alloys such as nickel-based superalloys and tool steels, which are widely used in aerospace, energy, and tooling industries. PM-HIP technology can address many of the challenges associated with conventional processing and machining of these alloys.

This study investigated the nickel-based superalloy Inconel 625 and a high-nitrogen tool steel, both produced by PM-HIP. The focus was on understanding how manufacturing parameters and resulting microstructural features influence fatigue behavior under different fatigue life regimes. Detailed microstructural characterization and fatigue testing were carried out to evaluate alloy performance and identify fatigue crack initiation mechanisms. To further examine the potential of minimizing post-HIP treatment in near-net shape manufacturing, the surface properties and fatigue behavior of HIPed alloys with and without machining were assessed.

The findings showed that non-metallic inclusions acted as fatigue crack initiations in PM-HIPed Inconel 625 in both high cycle and very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) regimes, whereas large grains played a key role in fatigue crack initiation during VHCF, either individually, in conjunction with triple junctions, or by assisting carbonitrides. In PM-HIPed high-nitrogen tool steel, fatigue cracks initiated at non-metallic inclusions in both fatigue regimes, and at clusters of oxides and precipitates under VHCF conditions. These results highlight the importance of optimizing manufacturing parameters and post-processing steps based on the intended application.