Department of Childhood, Education and Society

The department has four actively working research groups:

Historical-Political Studies of Childhood, Education and Society (HPS)

At the department, historical-political studies is a field of knowledge that deals with historical and political issues concerning education and upbringing in a broad sense. Theoretically, we are interested in the conditions and possibilities of social science criticism, focusing on phenomena such as civic education, educational institutions, educational leadership, educational programmes, student health and digitalisation.

Contact: Jonas Qvarsebo

Philosophical Studies of Education (PFS)

At the department, pedagogical-philosophical studies constitute a field of knowledge that deals with issues of education and pedagogy in its broadest sense. Working at the intersection of the history of ideas, philosophy, and pedagogy, with both analytical and continental traditions orientations, it explores the metaphors, examples and vocabulary available to practising educators and educational researchers. Although the research encompasses a wide range of methodological and theoretical approaches, the focus is often on exploring and testing the conceptual and ideational foundations of educational thinking.
Contact: Johan Dahlbeck

Sociological and Sociological Studies of Childhood, Education and Society (SBS)

At the department, sociological and childhood sociological studies constitute a field of knowledge that deals with children's lives and childhood in and outside preschool, after-school centres and schools. The research focuses on how discourses, actors and institutions contribute to shaping childhoods and living conditions based on concepts such as class, gender, ethnicity, age, place/space, and culture. The research profile encompasses various theories and methods from the human and social sciences.
Contact: Anne Harju

Didactic Studies of Childhood, Education and Society (DS)

At the department, didactic studies is a field of knowledge that deals with issues concerning relationships between children, teachers and the content of education. The research focuses on teaching and educational processes at the intersection of childhood, education, and society. Didactics is here characterised by being both practical and theoretical in nature, which includes scientific foundations and proven experiences in collaborative research. Furthermore, the research profile is characterised by a ‘multi-voiced didactics’, which includes general didactics, content-focused didactics/subject didactics, and special education didactics.
Contact: Ann-Christine Vallberg Roth

About the research groups

The research groups conduct both basic and applied research. They contribute to current research in teaching and in collaboration with external actors. The groups are active in national and international networks, conferences, and publication forums, discuss scientific texts, apply for research funding and support the group members' qualification processes and doctoral projects. The work is done through seminars and research days at the department.

Head of Research: Liselott Mariett Olsson