In 2017 the Swedish Government commissioned four Universities to plan and execute a project aiming to develop and test different models for long-term collaboration between Universities and Colleges and heads of Schools concerning practice-based research (Utbildningsdepartementet, 2018). This should be seen in the light of the decree in the Swedish education act from 2010, that declares that the Swedish compulsory school shall be founded in scientific basis and proven experience (SFS 2010:800; Norrestam & Alfredson, 2018).

These four Universities became the core of a practice-based test project between Higher Education and School, called ULF (Utbildning, Lärande, Forskning) [in English ELR, Education, Learning, Research]. The four Universities have collaborated with other Universities and Colleges and formed four hubs in the ULF project network. The Royal College of Music (RCM) in Stockholm has been a part of the project through the hub administrated by Uppsala University. The trial period ends in 2021, and throughout the period RCM has been conducting four practice-based research projects where music teachers in the compulsory school have worked together with researchers from the college in pairs and in one case in a trio, researching areas that have been identified by the music teachers as important for them in their daily work. These research areas have been: Leadership in the music-classroom; Interventions for musical knowledge development and participation; Music education and digitalization; and Norm-critical music education.

Five music teachers and four researchers together have developed multifaceted knowledge concerning, of course, the research areas of interest, but also about matters concerning arrangements supporting practice-based research. This could be called incidental findings, but we argue that these areas of interest may, in fact be part of the main findings, of the study made by the RCM, as well as of the main project nationally. The results are presented in an anthology called “A Prima Vista” which will be completed in January 2021.

In the symposia we would like to present results and further discuss:

-  How to define practice-based research? The definition of the term practice-based or practice-conducted research is not an easy on to make?-  The ethical codex for conducting studies that include humans, is in Sweden not updated to adequately meet the special issues that arises when practicing teachers are partaking in research that their head of the school department is engaged in. This concerns i.e., the matter of anonymization and bias.-  How do one practically take on the task of practice-based research? Little is written in Sweden on organizational matters. Our project has shown that issues like schedules, access to resources, and substitute teachers are just a few of many pressing organizational matters.-  Findings from the collaborative part-studies. 

References 

Norrestam S. & Alfredsson, S. (2018). Skola på vetenskaplig grund. Hur LUnd gör BFL/BFFL. I Vetenskap och beprövad erfarenhet, (s 29–38) VBE- programmet, Lund.

SFS 2010:800. Skollagen. Stockholm, Utbildningsdepartementet.

Utbildningsdepartementet. (2017). Uppdrag om försöksverksamhet med praktiknära forskning. Utbildningsdepartementet. Diarienummer: U2015/03573/UH, U2017/01129/UH.