In response to global competition in higher education, university rankings have been developed. These have been interpreted as indicating the regions and countries with the most prestigious and competitive higher education institutions. The rankings are viewed as important in many countries, but their role is ambiguous and contested in the Nordic…

In this systematic scoping review, research on the inclusion of students with special education needs (SEN) in Nordic countries was reviewed to describe the scope and types of empirical research, identify the practices and approaches on the inclusion of students with SEN, and conceptually map how particular concepts (i.e., inclusion, SEN) are…

Several international large-scale assessments were conducted at the turn of the new century, and during the past two decades the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) completed seven cycles of assessment to facilitate practitioners' policy debates and governance. This study reviews PISA-related articles published in English and…

This article sheds light on criticism of the increasing degree of formalisation in collating and synthesising research findings in the systematic review format in education. A textual analysis of two systematic reviews produced by the Swedish Institute for Educational Research unpacks the significance of interaction between formalisation and…

This study examines the presence of three conceptual metaphors for fractions -- The measuring stick metaphor, Arithmetic is motion along a path, and Arithmetic is object construction -- in four common and popular Swedish mathematics textbook series for years 1-3. I analyse the introduction of fractions and the kinds of tasks students are given in…

This article examines collaborative writing in schools by systematically reviewing peer-reviewed and empirical articles published in English in scientific journals between 1986 and 2020. Drawing on scoping review methodology and using the typology of collaborative writing, 107 studies on collaborative writing in first-language school contexts…

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of flipped classrooms in science education through the use of systematic review and meta-analysis. A total of 64 studies were analyzed by scanning the following databases: Web of Science, Eric, Taylor & Francis, and Education Full Text (EBSCO). Of the studies analyzed, 18 were selected for…

The aim of this article is to analyse the "Third Mission" (TM) of universities within Nordic countries and universities approach to implementing the mission into their strategy. The main activities that Nordic universities relate to the Third Mission are examined and policy implications drawn. Furthermore, gaps in literature are outlined…

The purpose of this critical study is to generate knowledge about decisions by education authorities that serve an advisory and normative function for Swedish preschool education at the operational level, with a focus on work with children in need of special support. This has been achieved by scrutinising documents generated in conjunction with a…

While entitled to education, the curriculum for pupils with intellectual disabilities (ID) remains unresolved. In a time of curriculum renewal, this study inquires into Norwegian school policy in the period 2014-2018 to evaluate this learner group's course of study. Attentiveness to special education and curricular approach are discussed through…

Vocational education and training (VET) remain overlooked in learning analytics (LA) research. This systematic literature review, using four databases and other sources, was carried out by analyzing selected 60 articles (2012-2017) to study the levels and stages of education that the reviewed LA literature examined. The review indicated that most…

Discursively learning outcomes have been embedded within an education-policy context characterised by a shift from teaching to learning. In the dominant education policy discourse, learning outcomes have come to play an important role in education whose emphasis is more on product than process, which by its critics have been characterised as…

This study reviews the European evidence on the impact of professional development (PD) of pre-school educators on child outcomes. A meta-analysis investigates how PD of pre-school educators in formal pre-school centers in Europe affects child outcomes. The European studies are quite recent and limited in numbers, and our results show a…

The most commonly used Finnish mathematics teacher guides (Grades 1-6) are investigated so as to determine what kind of resource they constitute for teachers in planning and enacting mathematics teaching and what kind of mathematics classroom they promote. The structure and the main contents of the guides were found to be quite homogeneous. The…

International large-scale assessments are on the rise, with the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) seen by many as having strategic prominence in education policy debates. The present article reviews PISA-related English-language peer-reviewed articles from the programme's first cycle in 2000 to its most current in 2015. Five…