RelMaS - Relevancing mathematics and science education

RelMaS is a teacher educators’ graduate school, that addresses the challenges of educating younger generations for navigating and transforming a complex world of climate change.

Relevancing mathematics and science education (RelMaS) is a national program financed by the Swedish Research Council to strengthen the research capacity of teacher educators. RelMaS has received funding for two cohorts of students. The first cohort, RelMaS 1, runs from 2020-2024, and the second cohort, RelMaS 2, runs from 2022-2026.

The purpose of RelMaS is to strengthen research in mathematics and science education, by engaging teacher educators in practice-oriented research aiming to analyze and develop didactic models for making relevant mathematics and science education.

RelMaS addresses the challenges of educating younger generations for navigating and transforming a complex world of climate change, where mathematical and scientific knowledge intertwine in dealing with wicked problems now and in the future. This involves negotiating common views of the content, pedagogies and research foundations of school mathematics and science, to make them significant for active citizenship and to provide equitable access to the content to a diverse student population.

Extended description of RelMaS pdf, 419 kB.

Three research environments

RelMaS is a collaboration between the Department of Teaching and Learning at Stockholm University, the Department of Education at Uppsala University, and the Department of Mathematics, Science, Environment and Society at Malmö University:

Together, the three environments contribute with experienced supervisors for the graduate school, established and well-functioning research groups on areas of relevance for the program, and opportunities for the PhD students to be involved in both mathematics and science teacher education.

Each PhD student will be assigned one main supervisor from the department at which the student is enrolled, and a co-supervisor from one of the two partner departments.

Program description

The graduate school will finance nine PhD students enrolled 80 percent over a five-year period, with remaining the 20 percent engagement in teacher education at one of the partner departments. This allows students to gain knowledge and critical understanding of the three research foundations, to develop new up-to date specialized knowledge of relevance to the theme, and to gain methodological and analytical expertise in the individual project and overall field. It also provides experience of teaching in teacher education, while conducting research of relevance for it, so that the research expertise can be incorporated into teacher education.
Compulsory courses

Three courses and two seminars (40 credits in total) are compulsory for the PhD students. These courses are developed collaboratively by the partners. The courses establish a coherent core of theoretical, methodological, and empirical knowledge related to the theme of the program.

Relevancing mathematics and science education for social justice (7.5 credits)
In/exclusion in mathematics and science education (7.5 credits)
Critical and participatory methodologies in didactics research (10 credits)
Seminar on research ethics in didactics research (7.5 credits)
Seminar on the role of research and researchers in teacher education and professional development (7.5 credits)

Optional courses

To meet the local requirements at the respective university, the PhD students, in consultation with supervisors, choose other courses from those offered at the three partners or other universities, to fit the needs of each PhD project.

Regular seminars

Students participate in the regular research seminars offered at the department at which they are enrolled, as well as regular joint seminars with supervisors from the graduate school and invited guest researchers. In these seminars the students get the opportunity to develop a capacity for scholarly analysis and synthesis, through presenting their own work and through reading and commenting on others.

Participation in conferences and short stay abroad

Students are expected to participate in national and international conferences to present their work. They are encouraged to organize a minimum of 2 weeks stay in a research environment outside of Sweden, where they can interact with researchers of relevance for their work.
Thesis-work
Students write a compilation thesis comprising four articles of which, on average, 2-3 will be published in international journals at the time of the defense.