The Swedish Institute for Educational Research has so far published nineteen research summaries, covering different topic areas within the fields of education.
Systematic reviews
Systematic reviews do not provide answers to ’what works’ in teaching, they provide the basis for making informed choices and decisions regarding teaching activities.
A systematic review is a type of literature review that collects, critically analyses and synthesises research. The process is characterised by systematics and transparency. The key features of the process are:
- A clearly stated review question with pre-defined eligibility criteria is stated.
- Explicit and transparent methods are used.
- The work is accountable, replicable and updateable.
- A systematic search that attempts to identify all studies that meet the eligibility criteria.
Ongoing projects
We are currently, in collaboration with researchers within the field, working on the following systematic reviews:
- Oral communication in foreign languages
- Teaching the design process in technology education
- Teaching students with intellectual disabilities
- Analytical writing – expository texts in subject-based teaching
- Teaching and learning in physics
Systematic meta-reviews
A meta-review has the same key features as a systematic review, but instead of analysing research studies, it is a compilation of reviews.
Systematic mapping
Apart from the systematic reviews, the Institute also does mapping of international studies within different fields. These mappings are more schematic and do not involve synthesis or conclusions.
Summarising and commenting
The Institute monitors international systematic reviews in order to make the results available to – and useful for – professionals in Swedish schools and pre-schools. The reviews are assessed in regards to both academic quality and relevance for Swedish schools. We summarize and comment on the reviews from a Swedish perspective.
Advancing knowledge
In this series our aim is to put research in a context. The purpose of the reports is to help teachers enhance their knowledge, and in the long run, to use research findings to develop their teaching.
Identifying the needs for future summaries
In order to identify the professionals’ needs and to incorporate their opinions, the Institute conducts needs analyses, participates in national and regional conferences, and collaborates with agencies and organisations to learn from their experiences.