Formeringen av forskningsanknytning genom examensarbete

Abstract

In 2006 a study on undergraduate thesis in two vocational programmes and two separate courses within the Swedish higher education system were conducted. In total 206 theses were evaluated by 14 experts in order to determine the scientific quality of the thesis. The following themes were assessed: the selection and formulation of a topic, link to research, theoretical awareness, methodology, the connection between theory and empirical data, formal presentation requirements and the difficulty level of the topics. In addition the experts made an over all assessment on the thesis. In th is paper special attention will be paid to the teacher education programme. The other vocational programme — nursing education — is used as a point of reference to discuss two different approaches to the under gradua te thesis. These will be addressed in terms of a consumer and a producer model. Conse quences considering students development of link to research in their under gr aduate theses are discussed in relation to the two models. It is argued that an el aborated concept of link to research requires the use of both the consumer and the producer model not only within the theses, but throughout the entire teacher education.