The doctoral project examines the shaping of geographical knowledge in the social studies curriculum in the Norwegian curriculum reform Kunnskapsløftet 2020.
The study analyses interview data, curriculum documents, and policy documents related to the Norwegian curriculum development process.
The background of the study is the national and international shift from knowledge oriented to competence oriented curricula, as well as the change in the Norwegian curriculum Kunnskapsløftet 2020, in which geography is no longer a separate main area in the social studies curriculum but integrated with other disciplines.
The study examines how geographical knowledge was shaped in the social studies curriculum through the development process of the Norwegian curriculum Kunnskapsløftet 2020. The study analyses two dimensions of this process: how geographical knowledge was recontextualized to and within the curriculum, and how boundaries between geography and other disciplines in social studies were negotiated. As part of this, the study also investigates how geographical knowledge appears in the curriculum.
The study is based on analyses of interview material, curriculum documents, and policy documents related to the development of the social studies curriculum.
The study contributes to the field of curriculum theory and to research on geographical knowledge in an educational context. It offers an empirical contribution by illuminating how decisions about the shaping of geographical knowledge in the curriculum were made, and how different actors interacted and negotiated throughout the process. The study also provides a theoretical contribution by introducing an analytical lens for examining the shaping of disciplinary knowledge in curricula through a curriculum development process. In addition, it contributes to educational practice by examining how geographical knowledge can be shaped in a curriculum in ways that enable geography to play an empowering role for students. The project is therefore relevant for future curriculum development processes and for teacher educators and teachers working with the social studies curriculum.
Ingrid Løkens's publications (nva.sikt.no)
