Country Report 47 Social science education (samfunnsfag) in Norway A country report Trond Solhaug Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim Julie Ane Odegaard Borge The Rafto Foundationfor Human Rights Gunnar Grut Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim Keywords Social !tudie!, Nor'a(, curriculum, teac*er %ractice, re!earc* - +eac*er education %ro,ra)! include al!o a ma!ter-! de,ree for !ocial !tudie!. - +eac*er centred %ractice! 'it* t*e u!e of te.t/oo0! !till dominate. - +e.t/oo0! are rat*er di!cri%tive and 2o/ ective- 'it* le!! critical t*in0in,. " Ne' curriculum 2020, 3Fa,forn(el!en5 (!u/ ect rene'al), introduce! interdi!ci%linarit( /ut !till man( detailed !u/ ective ,oal!. - 6e!earc* i! %re!ented /ut t*e !ub ect i! rat*er under re!earc*ed. !urpose: +*e current article on !ocial !tudie! in %rimar( and !econdar( education in Nor'a( cover! a ran,e of relevant to%ic! '*ic* !tart! 'it* a /rief conte.t of Nor'e,ian !ociet(, *i!tor( and !ocial !tudie! frame'or0. 7ain to%ic! are t*e ne' (2020) curriculum, te.t/oo0! anal(!e!, !ocial !tudie! teac*er co)%etence and %ractice! follo'ed /( re!earc* in !ocial !tudie!. "indings +*e ori,inal data on teac*er %ractice reveal t*at teac*er! tal0in, '*ile u!in, te.t/oo0! i! (!till) a dominant form of %ractice in Nor'a(, /ut t*ere i! a ,reat variet( of %ractice! /ot* in and out of !c*ool (e.cur!ion!). +*e te.t/oo0! !till ai) at /ein, 2neutral- and le!! critical. 8 ne' national curriculum fro) No1e)/er 2019 e)%*a!i!e! interdi!ci%linarit( !ub ect!, and *ave le!! ,oal! t*an t*e %reviou! 200&, /ut i! !till 1er( !%ecific and rat*er to% do'n. Some re!earc* i! %re!ented, t*e field i! under re!earc*ed, and an outloo0 i! di!cus!ed. # $NTRO&'(T$ON Vi ere en na! on vi )ed, SSE vi !)9 en alen lan,e, J et fedreland vi fr(de! 1ed, o, vi, vi ere man,e. Journal of Social Science Education V9rt * erte vet, 19rt :(e !er Vol. 19, No. 1 (2020) *vor ,odt o, va00ert Nor,e er, DOI 10.4119/ !!e-1748 19r tun,e 0an en !an, /lant fler %%. 47-68 av Nor,e! ;re!"!an,e. Corresponding author: +rond Sol*au,, In!titute for +eac*er Education, Nor'e,ian <ni1er!it( of Science and +ec*nolo,( +rond*ei), =a)%u! >al1!0innet S1erre!,ate 15, 7491 +rond*ei), Nor'a(, E")ail@ trond.sol*au,Antnu.no Social science education in Norway 48 +*e o%enin, %ara,ra%* i! a %oe) 'ritten /( t*e Nor'e,ian 'riter Benri0 Cer,eland in 1$41D a !o)e'*at )eanin,ful tran!lation 'ould /e a! follo'!: 2Ce are al!o a nation, t*oug* 'e are !mall c*ildren, 'e are man( and our *eart! 0no', our e(e! can !ee, *o' /eautiful Nor'a( i!-. +*e %oe) i! al!o t*e title of a te.t/oo0 t*at 'a! u!ed in Nor'e,ian !c*ool! for at lea!t t'o decade!, !tartin, fro) it! fir!t a%%earance in 194# (B;reid, 194#). 4or ,eneration!, *i!tor( E and later !ocial !tudie! E te.t/oo0! *ave *ad t*e %ur%o!e of /uildin, a !en!e of national identit( and unit( amon, citiFen! (LorentFen, 19$$D Sla,!tad, 199$). In t*e current article, 'e !*o' '*at c*aracteri!e! conte)%orar( !ocial !tudie! education in Nor'e,ian !c*ool! /( loo0in, at te.t/oo0!, teac*er co)%etence, teac*in, %ractice, t*e curriculum and re!earc*. In t*i! re%ort, 'e %refer t*e ter) 2!ocial !tudie!- (and not !ocial !cience education) /ecause t*e !u/ ect dra'! on !e1eral !cientific di!ci%line!, '*ic* i! illustrated /( t*e follo'in, definition /( t*e National =ouncil for t*e Social Studie! (<S) (N=SS, 1994). 3Social !tudie! i! t*e inte,rated !tud( of t*e !ocial !cience! and *umanitie! to %romote civic co)%etence. Cit*in t*e !c*ool %ro,ramme, !ocial !tudie! %rovide coordinated, !(!tematic !tud( dra'in, u%on !uc* di!ci%line! a! ant*ro%olo,(, arc*aeolo,(, economic!, ,eo,ra%*(, *i!tor(, la', %*ilo!o%*(, %olitical !cience, %!(c*olo,(, reli,ion, and !ociolo,(, a! 'ell a! a%%ro%riate content fro) t*e *umanitie!, mat*ematic!, and natural !cience!. +*e %rimar( %ur%o!e of !ocial !tudie! i! to *el% (oun, %eo%le de1elo% t*e a/ilit( to ma0e infor)ed and rea!oned deci!ion! for t*e %u/lic ,ood a! citiFen! of a diver!e, democratic !ociet( in an interde%endent 'orld.” (Jo*n!on, 2010, %. H). +*e main !ocial !cientific di!ci%line! in Nor'e,ian !ocial !tudie! are %olitical !cience, !ociolo,(, ant*ro%olo,( and !ocial %!(c*olo,(, 'it* la' and criminolo,( con!titutin, minor role!. Social !tudie! (samfunnsfag) )er,ed 'it* *i!tor( and ,eo,ra%*(. 8 co)%ul!or( teac*in, met*od 2t*e re!earc*er- (utforskaren) 'a! added in 201H for %rimar( and lo'er !econdar( !c*ool. Student! 'ere to use re!earc* met*od!, curio!it( and creativit( in !ocial !cience %ro/lem !olvin,, !timulatin, critical a!!e!!)ent of !ource! a! 'ell a! of e!ta/li!*ed and ne' 0no'led,e. +*e co)%ul!or( !u/ ect of !ocial !tudie! (samfunnskunnskap) in u%%er !econdar( !c*ool onl( include! t*e !ocial !cientific di!ci%line! )entioned a/ove. Since t*e call for countr( re%ort! to t*i! edition of Journal of Social Science Education (JSSE) e)%*a!i!e! 2!ocial !cience!-, *i!tor( and ,eo,ra%*( are e.cluded, and t*e focus remain! on t*e !ocial !cientific %art of !ocial !tudie! in %rimar( !c*ool and u%%er !econdar( !c*ool. In u%%er !econdar( !c*ool, !tudent! ma( al!o c*oo!e to ma or in !ocial !cience! in various !u/ ect!, /ut a revie' of t*e!e di!ci%linar( !ub ect! 'a! e.cluded in t*e current re%ort for !%ace rea!on!. Ce /uild on a %revious revie' article titled 2=ivic Education in Nor'a(-, '*ic* Iuite narro'l( defined civic education a! 2educational effort! t*at are concerned 'it* t*e relation!*i% /et'een citiFen! and ,o1ernmental aut*orit(- (J:r*aug, 2010/, %. &&). +*i! focus on vertical inte,ration i! 'idened /( a *oriFontal inte,ration !co%e in t*e current re%ort. De!%ite different conce%tuali!ation! (civic education and !ocial !tudie!), t*e!e various area! o1erla% con!idera/l(. +*e !ome'*at fra,)ented /ut %ra,matic framin, of !ocial !tudie! content *a! develo%ed and /eco)e /ot* u!eful for one-! civic a/ilit( to develo% %u/lic o%inion and for critical citiFen!*i%. Bot* S;tre (201H) and J:r*au, (200?) e)%*a!i!ed !ocial !tudie! a! useful to !tudent!, '*erea! J:r*au, (200?) underlined t*e educational Bildung a! central for an individual-! %olitical le,itimac( a!%ect!. Social !tudie! are e!!ential to citiFen!- a/ilit( to %artici%ate and contri/ute to %u/lic de/ate and !ocial %ro,re!!. Ce ai) to re!%ond to t*e man( 'i!*e! in t*e call for t*i! i!!ue in t*e Journal of Social Science Education (JSSE) /( a!0in, t*e follo'in, Iue!tion@ !hat characterises social studies education in Norwegian schools" Ce o%en 'it* a /rief !ocial, %olitical and !c*ool conte.t of !ocial !tudie!. Ce continue 'it* a revie' of t*e !ocial !tudie! curricular frame'or0, e)%*a!i!in, t*e on,oin, Social science education in Norway 49 curricular refor) to /e i)%lemented in !c*ool! !tartin, in 8ugust 2020. Ce loo0 at te.t/oo0! and %reviou!l( un%u/li!*ed data on cla!!room %ractice! in !ocial !tudie! teac*in,, a! 'ell a! data on !ocial !tudie! teac*er! and t*eir education. Ce continue /( %re!entin, various a!%ect! of !ocial !tudie! in !c*ool. Our final ai) i! to c*aracteri!e !ocial !tudie! in Nor'a( and ,i1e an outloo0 for furt*er re!earc* in t*i! countr(. ) BA(K&RO! AN& (ONT*+T'A,$SAT$ON )-# The conte.t in education Social !tudie! are !ituated in t*e *i!torical and conte)%orar( Nor'e,ian !ociet(. Ce t*erefore %rovide a fe' i)%ortant *i!torical note! and conte)%orar( information a/out t*e countr( and %articularl( !ocial !tudie! in Nor'e,ian !c*ool!. Nor'a( i! 2!mall, ric* and de)ocratic- (Krind*eim, Beidar, L Str:m, 201#). 8ccordin, to Stati!tic! Nor'a( (SSB) t*e %o%ulation total! a/out ?.3 million %eo%le (SSB, 2019a). Nor'a(-! citiFen! *ave !o)e of t*e *i,*e!t )edian !alarie! in t*e 'orld (WorldData, 2015). The Norwegian state has accumulated an ener,( fund for 'ealt* /enefit! t*at total! one trillion dollar! (Nor,e!Ban0, 2019), and t*e countr(-! %olitical ri,*t! and civil li/ertie! are ran0ed amon, t*e *i,*e!t in t*e 'orld (Freedo)Bouse.or,, 2019). De!%ite t*i! 2,lorious %icture-, %olitical trust i! declinin, (Difi, 2019). +*e c*ildren of immi,rant! are four time! a! li0el( to live in a lo'" inco)e famil( (N8V, 201#), and alto,et*er, 10M of c*ildren in Nor'a( live in lo'-inco)e familie!.