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During the last years the so called 21st century skills have been emphasized in both policy documents and science education research. The development of these skills among citizens in Europe has been supported by the European Union through different education and research programmes (EU, 2015). This paper analyzes if four aspects (citizenship education (CE), inquiry-based science education (IBSE), responsible research and innovation (RRI) and socio-scientific issues (SSI)) from a theoretical framework in one of those EU-funded projects (PARRISE) are integrated in the Swedish biology curriculum in lower secondary school (The national agency for education, 2011). The research question was: To what extent are CE, IBSE, RRI and SSI integrated in the national biology education curriculum in Sweden? The curriculum in biology for lower secondary school in Sweden has been analyzed. In focus for the content analysis of the curriculum has been the four major aspects; CE, IBSE, RRI SSI. Aims, core content and knowledge requirements have been studied. The four aspects from the project framework are to large extent expressed in the Swedish biology curriculum. The aspects IBSE and SSI dominate the curriculum. However, the RRI aspects are not explicitly expressed. The Swedish biology curriculum is well-adapted to the thoughts that are expressed in the 21st century skills and articulated in the project as four aspects.

This short paper focuses on the relationship between the procedural and the epistemic arguments for democracy in David Estlund's epistemic proceduralism. It is argued that his theory could be purely epistemic, in the sense that it justifies democracy only from its ability to ascertain and implement an independent standard of correctness. Obedience to wrong decisions (within certain limits) – in epistemic as well as in non-epistemic cases – can be justified in terms of prospective concern for the epistemic (and moral) capacity of democracy. There is no need for a procedural justification of democratic political authority and legitimacy. ; Demokrati, kunskap och värderelativism

The theme addressed is the criticism of constructivism and rationalism in politics as presented in the political theory of F. A. Hayek. Hayek's thesis is that goal‐directed rationality in politics is counter‐final. The main argument of this article is that on closer examination Hayek appears to be a constructivist himself. The purpose of Hayek's anti‐rationalism is primarily ideological and instrumental. Hayek wants to induce certain anti‐rationalistic beliefs because he believes rationalism has bad consequences. Yet this very project can be considered a case of goal‐directed rationality. Furthermore, the argument is that Hayek mixes abstract philosophical doctrine with empirical theory. In his critique of constructivism, Hayek confuses two notions of 'rationality'. On the one hand he argues against epistemological rationalism associated with Descartes, and on the other he argues against the subjectivistic, action‐oriented notion of 'rationality' associated with the idea of 'economic man'. Arguments against Cartesian rationalism do not, however, imply the impossibility of goal‐directed rationalism in politics. The so‐called information problem cannot be solved at an epistemological level. It is a practical problem, which Hayek has certain ideas how to solve. The argument here, therefore, is that Hayek's thesis of 'tacit knowledge' is not an expression of skepticism as is often believed.

AbstractThis article critically examines the basis for Swedish prevention strategies and policy documents concerning sexual risk‐taking, investigating in particular how risk‐taking is represented with respect to the group of middle‐aged, heterosexual individuals. These prevention strategies and policy documents seem to be built on an assumption that sexual relationships are limited to people having sex with individuals with the same sexual orientation, age, behaviour or drug use, an assumption that can be questioned. We have made a scoping review of existing research and examined Swedish national prevention strategies, analysing policy documents on sexual risk‐taking. The results demonstrate a lack of both research and interventions targeted at middle‐aged heterosexuals. We argue that research and interventions directed to heterosexuals have strong connections to fertility. Drawing on Loseke's theorization, the explanation might be that middle‐age sexual behaviour loses the "social problem game". The blind spots observed in research and policy can also be explained by an agreement in normativity between the different claims‐makers, such as interest groups, policy‐makers and politicians.

This study started in connection to two similar parallel on-going Teacher Development Programs (TPDs) in Sweden, within the PARRISE-project (2014-2017). It is a project funded by EU, where 18 universities from eleven countries cooperate to explore and develop ways to address political and ethical questions in science education, with starting point from Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), embracing the SSIBL framework (cf. Levinson 2016). Preliminary results shows how teachers from the TPDs formulated mutual and competing aims concerning the role of science education regarding how to address the knowledge base of science in relation to new relatively uncertain areas. This is done in relation to innovation processes and their products as for example nanotechnology. Critical thinking and awareness of ignorance were formulated as important tools for a scientific literacy discourse of a more humbled view of knowledge production, connected to science research and innovation, and identifying conflicting interest from different actors.

Abstract  Explored are the relationships among personality and emotional reactions, work‐related strain, and experiences of burnout among staff exposed vs. not exposed to violence when caring for people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Questionnaires measuring personality, emotional reactions, strain and burnout, and exposure to violence were distributed to staff (n = 112) working in 22 group homes for people with ID aged 18 years and older in a community in northern Sweden. The results did not show evidence of a direct influence of personality variables on exposure to violence when working with people with ID and no direct relationships were found between exposure to violence and the staff members' personality traits as measured with the Temperament and Character Inventory and Rosenberg's Self‐Esteem Scale. Although the influence of personality traits on how the staff members experienced violence could not be clearly determined, the authors found an association between personality and strain and the risk of burnout in that certain staff exposed to violence felt more emotionally exhausted than did staff who were not exposed. The knowledge of the relationships among violence, personality, and risk of burnout may be important for the understanding which staff need special supports when working with people with ID.