Research programme
The research is based on the need to view issues of social, financial, and environmentally sustainable development of society in relation to teaching and learning. The complex global issues that the researchers in ROSE are examining, are interdisciplinary and bring different forms of specialised knowledge of various subjects to the fore. For example, this could be about digitisation, Anthropocene* or migration. The interdisciplinary approach, rooted in subject-specific education, creates opportunities to meet the education sector’s need for broad, research-based models for today’s global challenges.

The research environment develops an advanced in-depth comparative, subject-specific education-based approach, which makes it possible to systematically examine similarities and differences between different subjects. This perspective means that the interaction between subjects are examined in consideration of the specific knowledge cultures that these subjects represent. The boundaries between subjects are important, but it is equally important to cross them in order to create opportunities for more integrated interactions. Different subjects contribute with different knowledge, but at the same time there are dimensions in the specific details that unite. Through the comparative approach this can be made visible, and the issue of interaction between subjects can be discussed.
By working with theoretical concepts such as powerful knowledge, transformation and epistemic quality, the researchers are establishing and developing a unified language for subject-specific education. A meta-language for subject-specific education is important for the development of the research on subject-specific education, but is also central for school activities and for making it possible for pupils to deal with the big societal challenges of the future. By considering the different knowledge traditions of the different subjects, the findings of the research conducted within ROSE can create new empirical and theoretical knowledge.
Based on previous themes, new projects with comparative perspectives have been developed. Themes focused on “Transformation of the concept of sustainable development” and “Migration and powerful knowledge” have been transformed to contain aspects of sustainability and migration, with a specific focus on Anthropocene. Within the theme “Formal and informal subject constructions with a focus on digital tools”, a direction which specifically highlights narrative aspects have developed. Questions regarding the digitisation of schools and education have been bolstered by several projects using a comparative approach.
Themes
- Sustainability and migration
- Formal and informal learning environments
- Narrative and multicultural perspectives
The aim is to further develop comparative perspectives on subject-specific education issues related to subject-specific school development and professional development, within these areas.
* Anthropocene is a suggested geological era. It has no specified time frame, but can be said to last from the industrial revolution in the late 18th century (or the year 1800) until current times. It can be defined as the era when mankind’s actions have had a global effect on the earth’s climate and eco system, for example through global warming (source: Wikipedia).
