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Tore WestProfessor

About me

Tore West is currently full professor in education at Stockholm University. Earlier positions include the Stockholm Institute of Education (2002-2008) and the Swedish Royal College of Music (1993-2002). His research focuses on video recorded classroom interaction with an interest in social semiotics and multimodal analysis of educational interaction, assessment, and designs for learning, in the fields of music education, open educational resources on the Internet, and within the civil society.

Publications include Kartan och terrängen - Orientera i det didaktiska landskapet (2023), 'What students value in their teachers – an analysis of nominations to a teaching award' in Högre utbildning (2023), 'Designs for Learning – Designs in learning' in Learning as social practice - Beyond education as an individual enterprise (2021),  ‘Music and designed sound' in The Routledge handbook of multimodal analysis (2014), Design för lärande i musik (2010), ‘Music education as text' in Nordic research in music education (2008),'Educational interaction design' in the Swedish anthology Designs for learning (2008), ‘Multi-layered analysis of teacher-student interactions' in Pedagogies (2007), ‘Theoretical and methodological perspectives on designing video studies of interaction' in International journal of qualitative methods (2005), as well as a number of articles on interaction and learning in music education. Current research includes studies of interactions and learning between newly arrived and established citizens in the civil society, and representations and assessment of knowledge in music in various learning situations.

Chair of the Editorial board for Stockholm studies in education, member of the editorial advisory board for Visual Communication and Review of Research in Education (AERA). Reviewer for Music Education Research, Social Semiotics, Nordic Studies in Education, Designs for Learning and Nordic Research in Music Education.

He has presented papers and lectured on methodology and theoretical issues as well as research findings at (among others) Free University of Berlin (Germany), Royal College of Music (Sweden), James Cook University (Australia), University of Oslo (Norway), Sibelius Academy (Finland), University of Pennsylvania (USA), University of Exeter (UK), University of Music and Drama Hanover (Germany), University of Surrey Roehampton (UK), London University, as well as several Swedish universities. He has given more than 100 lectures and practical workshops for in-service teachers in Sweden, plus several courses at teacher-training programs and doctoral programs.

Prof. West has supervised 11 doctoral students to successful examination, examined or reviewed 40 doctoral dissertations, and supervised around 100 undergraduate final papers. Currently he is the main supervisor for 2 doctoral students.

Research projects

Publications

A selection from Stockholm University publication database

  • Applied music studio teachers in higher education

    2015. Kelly Parkes (et al.). International Journal of Music Education 33 (3), 372-385

    Article

    The purpose of this study was to explore how highly trained performing musicians, currently working in higher education conservatoires or universities, understand, categorize, and reflect on their identification as a studio music teacher. Using an online survey involving participants (N = 173) across nine western countries, respondents identified how they saw themselves, as performer, teacher, or both. Quantitative items illustrated their beliefs in regard to talent (self-concept) and identification with two domains (teaching and performing), as well as levels of satisfaction in both roles. Results showed that participants held two identities as both teachers and performers, that they felt slightly more talented at teaching, and that they were more satisfied with performing than with teaching. Using regression, the authors documented that identification with being a teacher predicted 41% of the variance in whether studio teachers were satisfied with being a teacher. Performing talent predicted 26% of their satisfaction with being a performer. The findings are significant to music educators because they demonstrate the complexities associated with the interplay between identification with teaching and with performing. Institutional leaders who recruit and employ advanced musicians to teach in the studio should explore this interplay or balance and, where appropriate, put in place mechanisms to support individuals as they navigate through these domains.

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