Analogies are common explanatory tools in science teaching and have long been appreciated for their function to facilitate students' learning of abstract scientific concepts, to stimulate engagement and motivation and to let students practice scientific language. At the same time, there is a risk that analogies may cause misconceptions. Therefore, teachers must have competence in how to use analogies in science teaching. Based on the question 'What do science teachers need to know, consider and master for fruitful teaching with analogies' we reviewed the research literature about teaching science with analogies. Applying a systematic integrative review approach, we identified key aspects of teaching with analogies that, based on a competence model, were constructed into the new Analogy Competence for Science Teachers (ACT) framework. The framework is aimed to guide and support teachers in planning and performing fruitful science teaching with analogies. Compared to previous teaching models, the ACT framework to a greater extent accentuates factors related to teachers' expertise and knowledge about the educational functions of analogies relating to the planning, selection, and instruction aspects of the teaching process, in addition to the conceptual considerations of analogies. The ACT framework has implications for science education and science education research.

Although epigenetics represents an emerging field of biological research with a potentially large influence on society as well as conceptual implications on how genetics is understood, it is often not a part of the biology education provided at secondary schools. Therefore, this educational research design study describes the development of a teaching design about epigenetics, created in collaboration with researchers and practicing teachers, and included the aim of updating genetics education to appropriately mirror contemporary biology research frontiers. The study was conducted in 11 upper secondary school classes. The resulting teaching design consists of a set of “Big Ideas” and teaching and learning activities that can be used with different groups of students and integrated into regular genetics education. Despite the complex content, the students appreciated the topic and found it not only to be highly relevant, but also understandable. The teaching design, which centered on human biology and the interplay between genetics and the environment, resulted in participants articulating a nuanced understanding of these two topics, which indicates a potential shift in perspective away from genetic determinism. The design also provided better explanatory models for various biological phenomena that had already been included in the curriculum, such as cell differentiation. Teaching epigenetics based on contemporary research was reported to be inspiring by the teachers, and students felt that it was exciting to learn about concepts at the frontline of scientific research. Thus, epigenetics is also relevant as a context for teaching the nature of science. A challenge identified in the study was how to avoid conflicts between old and modern explanatory models in genetics, an issue that needs to be explored further. 

Teaching genetics courses is dominated by a tradition focusing on Mendelian genetics and the central dogma, which can be described as a selective teaching tradition. This theoretical framework refers to a teaching tradition that gives priority to specific content and teaching strategies based on earlier experiences accepted within the community of teachers. This approach is problematic because Mendelian genetics and the central dogma promote a genetically deterministic understanding, leading students to believe that genes alone determine human characteristics. However, this view is increasingly challenged by the emerging field of epigenetics, which emphasises the role of environmental factors in influencing characteristics. Despite this, epigenetics is not yet included in the genetics curriculum in many countries. This study aimed to investigate whether introducing epigenetics to teachers would encourage them to challenge the selective teaching tradition of Mendelian genetics and the central dogma. To support teachers in integrating epigenetics into teaching genetics courses, we therefore developed a professional development programme covering different aspects of epigenetics and genetics education. Data from group discussions and individual reflections were analysed using thematic analyses, resulting in three key themes: keeping the tradition, mixing and adding to the tradition, and changing the tradition. Most teaching strategies fell into keeping the tradition, showing that, despite the development programme, it seemed difficult for the teachers to diverge from the selective teaching tradition. However, the latter two themes suggest that there could be opportunities for incorporating epigenetics into genetics education. This study discusses these opportunities, suggesting how selective teaching traditions might be challenged. 

The Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and climate change all direct attention to the importance of disaster preparedness, both at an individual and societal level. Disaster preparedness has also received increasing attention internationally, for instance through the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. This global framework as well as the research literature stress the importance of promoting education on disaster preparedness and how schools play a key role in this regard (Johnson et al. 2014; Pfefferbaum et al. 2018; Selby and Kagawa 2012). In our study, a systematic literature review shows that there is extensive international research on the integration of disaster preparedness in school education. However, corresponding research is lacking for the Swedish school. The Swedish Agency for Education emphasises the importance of schools working proactively with disaster preparedness (Skolverket 2022), but there are currently no guidelines regarding teaching in this area. There exists some educational material on disaster preparedness aimed at schoolchildren in the later years of elementary school and in upper secondary school, e.g. from the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) (2022), but it is currently up to the individual teacher to include this in the teaching. In the present study, an investigation of the conditions for integrating disaster preparedness into teaching in elementary school was carried out, as a first step in a larger study that aims to develop a research-based teaching program for the earlier years of elementary school. Based on the international research literature on teaching about disaster preparedness, a text analysis of primary school curricula in the social study subjects and science studies, grade 1-6, was made. Preliminary results show that there are no explicit links to disaster preparedness in the current curricula. However, there is potential to align education on disaster preparedness to the existing curricular content.

Omvärldsutvecklingen, Sveriges rustning av det civila försvaret, barnrättsfrågor och att barn är särskilt utsatta i krissituationer är starka skäl till att krisberedskapsundervisning i skolans lägre årskurser bör införas.

I denna rapport presenteras en förstudie med syfte att undersöka förutsättningar för undervisning för krisberedskap i skolans lägre årskurser. Rapportens inledande forskningsöversikt visar att krisberedskapsundervisning för barn stärker krismedvetenheten och krishanteringsförmågan i det omgivande samhället och att det är gynnsamt att undervisa om krisberedskap redan i tidig ålder. Undervisning som anammar elevaktiva metoder och samverkar med föräldrar och lokalsamhälle har särskilt positiva effekter på elevers lärande. Resultaten från förstudien visar att svenska kursplaner och läroböcker riktade mot årskurserna ett till sex inte ger någon explicit vägledning för undervisning om krisberedskap. Dock visar kursplane- och läroboksanalysen att befintliga skrivningar och innehållsteman ger öppningar för att inkludera undervisning om krisberedskap inom ramen för flera olika ämnen.

Riskerna för att grundläggande samhällsfunktioner störs eller slås ut motiverar att ge plats åt krisberedskapsundervisning i skolan, men det är viktigt att sådan undervisning vilar på en solid grund. Därför avslutas rapporten med en rekommendation om ett kombinerat forsknings- och utvecklingsarbete där yrkesverksamma lärare, forskare och beredskapsexperter tillsammans bidrar med sin expertis i framtagandet av ett undervisningsmaterial för krisberedskap i skolans lägre årskurser.

Förstudien tar tagits fram av forskare vid Karlstads universitet knutna till Centrum för forskning om samhällsrisker inom ramen för ett projekt, Krisberedskap i skolan (etapp 1), med Räddningstjänsten Karlstadsregionen som projektledare och Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap (MSB) som finansiär.