This study examines the reference societies of Norway and Sweden embedded in their education policy documents. We examined 4,260 bibliographic references in 19 white papers and green papers prepared for the 2016/2020 renewal of the Knowledge Promotion Reform in Norway and the 2015/2018 Knowledge Achievement Reform in Sweden. In addition, we…

Partnerships are understood to be one of the strategies for internationalisation of higher education institutions. In recent years, there has been a slight shift in trends, with diversifying partnerships among African universities and with countries that do not have colonial ties. These include the USA, Canada and Scandinavian countries, among…

This paper contributes to the theoretical debate over a global upsurge in higher education (HE) regionalisms which pursue different region-building processes and create policy spaces beyond national boundaries. Focusing on the Nordic countries, the paper studies parallel processes of intra-Nordic and European HE and research cooperation. Although…

This article offers narratives of individual journeys through the scholarship of leading in three different contexts--Asia, Europe, and Africa. Together, these narratives argue for the need to make explicit the diversity of practices of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), with each practice inextricably tied to specific geographical,…

Purpose: This article aims to discuss what kind of teaching is required to enable students to critically review financial issues in a way that is in accordance with a broad citizenship education. Method: Content analysis where an assessment of students' answers was compared and aligned with Westheimer & Kahne's (2004) theory driven conceptions…

We discuss oral history interviews with academics who laid the foundation of research and pedagogies in daycare for under three-year-olds in Europe and North and South America since the 1970s. Their work is clearly embedded in the social-political context of their country: the left-wing programmes for disadvantaged families in the U.S.A.;…

The article presents different models of comparative education by discussing the government committee reports (SOU) which prepared the Swedish teacher education reforms of 2001 and 2011. These serve as examples for different kinds of policy borrowing from an international Bologna process discourse in national government document. The article…

In this study, the spatial structure of primary schools and alternative organizational frameworks are studied in a number of rural municipalities in the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The aim of the study is to investigate how the spatial structure of schools has changed between the years 2008 and 2013 in these municipalities, what…

The article explores how education promotes social change. Using the philosophical foundations of adult education outlined by Elias and Merriam (2001, "Philosophical foundations of adult education" (3rd ed.), Krieger) as an analytical framework, the article compares the similarities and differences between popular education forms in two…

From the beginning of the 1990s, the Swedish society has been affected by various changes at various levels. This modified social, political and economic context led to several reforms implemented in the educational arena. These reforms dealt with decentralization, choice, use of market forces and privatization. All these aspects had an impact on…

Adult education in Sweden is closely interrelated with the prevailing ideology in that society. The predominant ideology in Sweden consists of firm and active commitment to lifelong learning, achieving the 'learned society', socioeconomic and political democracy, full employment, individual growth and dignity, and overall egalitarianism. Welfare,…

Describes recent changes in Swedish system of child care and early childhood education and analyzes them in relation to economic and socio-political context. Argues that early childhood education is an important part of the welfare society, which itself is in a state of transition, with neo-liberal ideas and economic constraints implying financial…

A summary report of a review of literature on the status of family day care in numerous countries around the world is provided. Materials were obtained from several databases, including ERIC (Educational Resource Information Center), Social SciSearch, Child Abuse and Neglect, Sociological Abstracts, Family Resources, and Third World Countries.…

Day care programs in the Scandinavian countries have been viewed as exemplary models to transfer to Canada and the United States. This publication, which provides an overview of day care in Denmark, Sweden and Norway, discusses conditions, facts, and programs contributing to the widespread acclaim. It is pointed out that day care in Denmark is an…

In this presentation, the authors attempt to approach the field of curriculum theory, development, innovation, and planning from the perspective of the basic principles of pedagogics. The authors use Sweden's development of a comprehensive school system as a case study of curriculum planning and development. This case study serves as an…