Forsøk med arbeidslivsfag på ungdomstrinnet

• Published in: NOVA Rapport 11/13 2013
• Main Authors: Bakken, Anders, Smette, Ingrid, Dæhlen, Marianne
• Format: Report
• Language: Norwegian
• Subjects: NOVA

Since autumn 2009 a new subject – «arbeidslivsfag» – has been implemented as an experiment in 133 selected lower secondary schools. The intension has been to develop a practical subject, as an alternative to students who do not want to learn a new foreign language in grade 8–10. One objective of introducing the subject has been to offer a subject where students can work with practical tasks and where they should learn how to make products and develop practical services. Throughout the course, students should be familiar with the practical professions, and they should be involved in activities related to the vocational education programs in secondary schools. The goal is to offer students who want it, opportunities to work practically and try out their interests for vocational training. Another goal is to offer an alternative way to enhance motivation for school, as well as to safeguard the development of basic skills (i.e. to read, write, and calculate). At the end of the course, all students should receive a grade for the course and some of the students are to be tested through an oral exam. The grades in «arbeidslivsfag» count for admission to secondary school. National authorities have developed a national curriculum for the experiment, as well a guidance to it. The experiment started in 16 schools in autumn 2009 and was expanded to 133 schools in 82 municipalities the following year. Later, the government extended the experiment period, and from 2012 it is possible for all school owners to offer «arbeidslivsfag». At these schools students has been given the opportunity to choose this subject as an alternative to learn a second foreign language in addition to English (i.e. German, French, Spanish, etc.). NOVA – Norwegian Social Research – was commissioned by the Directorate of Educational and Training to evaluate this experiment. The reason was the government's desire to have a knowledge base for making a decision whether «arbeidslivsfag» should be obligatory to offer to all lower secondary school students across the country. NOVA has followed the experiment since autumn 2010 until spring 2013. During this period, it has been published two reports on the experiment (Bakken and Dæhlen 2011, Bakken et al. 2012). This is the final report from the evaluation study. The purpose of the report is to provide an overall picture of how «arbeidslivsfag» has worked after the students have completed the scheduled three-year course and to evaluate whether the intenti