Siv Fischbein

About me

I started my professional career in twin research. This initiated my interest in genetic and environmental influences on child development. The results from my thesis indicated that for most characteristics interactional effects are of the utmost importance. Specifically, restrictive and stimulating factors in educational situations seemed decisive in regulating genetic variation. I therefore developed a model illustrating such factors both in the social and cultural backgrounds of individual children and in educational situations. This model has been tested and found valuable in many different research areas such as sports education, nursing education, vocational education and special education.

In 1990 I became more directly involved in the supplementary program for special educators and initiated an evaluation study of this program which later developed into a longitudinal investigation of children in need of special support at school. I have been the supervisor of many doctoral dissertations in this and other fields of research and find this very stimulating and rewarding.

Both interdisciplinary cooperation and the relation between theory and practice have been of special interest to me. I have been the chairman of the Swedish Korczak Foundation and in 2001 initiated the Forum for Special Education which was a partnership of Stockholm university, Karolinska institute, Mälardalen university, School of Education and Communication at Jönköping university and the Swedish Institute for Special Needs Education. This cooperation was focusing on both collaborative research and education as well as seminars open to the public.

Academic degrees        

Bachelor's degree: psychology, education, political science, Stockholm University, 1962. Licentiate in Education, 1971. PhD in Education, 1979. Associate Professor in Education, 1987.        

Present position        

Professor em. of Special Education at the Department of Special Education at Stockholm  University.

Professional assignments 

• Expert advisor to the National Agency for Education 2019

• Member of the Program Advisory Board of Mind (Mental Health) 2011-2018

• Member of a group evaluating the Swedish Institute for Disability Research 2016

• Member of an evaluation panel at the Swedish Research Council 2016

• Member of Regional Ethics Committee in Stockholm 2004-2013
• Member of Doctoral Selection Committee in Special Education at Stavanger University, 2003
• Chairman of Forum for Special Education 2001-2009
• Member of Research Fellowship Award Board at Stockholm University  2000-2003
• Deputy member of Faculty Board of the Social Sciences at Stockholm University 2000-2002
• Member of Board of the Department of Human Development, Learning and Special Education 1999-2002
• Member of the Board of the Swedish Foundation for Dyslexia
• Chairman of Board of the Swedish Foundation for Dyslexia 2011-2018
• Member of the committee on teacher education for the office of the university chancellor (Universitetskanslersämbetet) 1995.
• Member of Nordic Network in Special Education
• Member of ALA Research Council
• Member of Research Board at Stockholm Institute of Education 2000-2003
• Consultant Editor of High Ability Studies 1995-1998
• Member of Clas Groschinsky Foundation 1992-2016
• Chairman of the Swedish Korczak Foundation 1989-1999
• Referee in international journals (Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, Medicine and Science in Sports, Early Development and Parenting, Acta Didactica Norge, Journal of Neural Transmission, Education Inquiry)

Resent Publications

Fischbein, S. (2019). Hälsa och skolprestation. Dyslexi-aktuellt om läs- och skrivsvårigheter. Nr 2. S. 6-11.

Fischbein, S. (2016). Svenska Dyslexistiftelsen. Dyslexi-aktuellt om Läs- och skrivsvårigheter. Nr 4, s. 12-13.

Utvärdering av Institutet för Handikappvetenskap (2016). Rapport 2016-10-04 från Linköpings Universitet. Ordförande: Brännström, U. Utvärderingsgrupp: Bohlin, G., Fischbein, S., Möller, A., Rydberg, L. (sekreterare), Sandström, U.