Umeå University – was inaugurated in 1965 and is situated to the far north of Sweden. Today, Umeå University provides courses and study programmes in every academic field. With approximately 29,000 students and 4000 employees, the University has much experience in the area of communications, and adopts an interdisciplinary approach. The Umeå School of Education (USE), inaugurated in January 2009, is responsible for teacher education at the Umeå University. Its directives include the provision of undergraduate and graduate degree courses and programmes of the highest possible quality in the fields of teacher education, study and vocational counselling, and special education. The efficient and effective infrastructure of the University, the great interest in research among staff and a well-established research environment are combined to provide excellent conditions for successful doctoral studies and research in the fields of teacher education and pedagogical professions.
The research group UmSER – Umeå University Science Education Research – was established in 2006 and involves several different departments at Umeå University. This interdisciplinary research environment creates opportunities for people from different departments, who in one way or another are involved in science education research, to meet both formally and informally. All involved researchers bring in different perspectives and traditions, which results in a vivid and constructive environment.
Umeå University has both pre- and in-service teacher education at the primary, secondary and upper secondary school levels. The Umeå University Department of Science and Mathematics education, is involved in the EU FP7 project ESTABLISH (European Science and Technology in Action: Building Links with Industry, Schools and Home), which focuses on Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE). This project encourages and promotes the more widespread use of inquiry-based science teaching techniques in secondary level schools through appropriate teacher education, while also adopting and testing actions to bridge the gap between the science education research community, science teachers, students, parents, local industry as well as policy makers in order to facilitate the uptake of IBSE. The main part of the research at the Department of Science and Mathematics Education concerns socio-scientific issues (SSI).
Umeå University
Partner 7 [UmU]
WP Involvement
Teacher Professional Development -Lower Secondary Education (WP3)
Team Profile
Christina Ottander holds a Ph.D. in Plant Physiology and is an Associate Professor in Science Education. Her research interests include socio-scientific issues in relation to improving students’ interest and learning, and teachers’ ability to work with scientific inquiry. Ottander has been involved in a Swedish Research Council funded project about SSI, and has participated in the ESTABLISH EU Project.The rationale of the project lies in creating authentic learning environments for science by bringing together and involving teachers as active partners, developers, researchers and agents for change.
Katarina Ottander holds a Ph.D. in Science Education, and has a position shared between Umeå University and Örnsköldsvik Upper Secondary School. The aim of this position is to create a link between research and practice. It consists of work at the different institutions and a third collaborative project – a research and school development project. The research and school development project focuses on science teachers’ professional development through peer learning. Her research interests focus on students’ learning (qualifications, socialisation and subjectification) arising from socioscientific issues and teacher professional development in relation to this.
