kunskapssyn

Kunskapssyn, in Swedish educational discourse, refers to the view or philosophy of knowledge—what knowledge is, how it is produced, and how learning relates to it. The term encompasses assumptions about what counts as valid knowledge, the purposes knowledge serves, and how it should be taught, learned, and assessed. In schools and teacher education, kunskapssyn is used to describe the underlying beliefs that guide curricula, instructional methods, and assessment practices.

In educational practice, kunskapssyn shapes decisions about what is emphasized in teaching and how students are helped to learn. It influences the balance between facts and understanding, theory and application, and between individual work and collaborative inquiry. Different kunskapssyn imply different roles for teachers and students in the learning process and different criteria for judging success.

Common orientations include an objectivist or essentialist view, where knowledge consists of stable facts and truths that students acquire through transmission; and constructivist or interpretive views, where knowledge is actively created by learners through inquiry, sense-making, and social interaction. Additional variants emphasize that knowledge is contextual and practice-based, or socially and culturally situated, shaped by communities, power relations, and purposes.

These positions affect classroom practice, curriculum design, and assessment. An objectivist kunskapssyn often aligns with direct instruction and standardized testing, while constructivist or contextual approaches emphasize inquiry, discussion, problem solving, and portfolio assessment. Debates in Sweden frequently address balancing disciplinary knowledge with skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and problem solving, while ensuring equity and relevance for diverse learners.