Fysisk och psykisk hälsa i biologiundervisning - elevers erfarenheter och behov

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate upper secondary students’ experiences of teaching about physical and mental health in biology education. The study was conducted in a swedish context and is relevent because of previous research has shown connections between students’ mental health and school performance. It also has been shown an increase in psychosomatic symptoms among young people. In addition, physical and mental health have been given a more central place in biology curriculum through Gy25. Gy25 refers to the revised Swedish upper secondary school curriculum introduced in 2025. The study was conducted as a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. The participants were upper secondary students in their first and third year from a science based program. The collected material was analysed through thematic analysis according to Braun & Clarke. What the study showed was that the students experienced an imbalance between physical and psychological education, where content about physical health were given more space. The students also described that the teaching as superficial and fact-based, with limited connections to their everyday lives and experiences. At the same time, the students expressed a need for more practical, relevant and meaningful teaching. Variation, student-active approaches and the teacher’s attitude were seen as key factors in contributing to meaningful teaching. The result of the study gives implications to biology teachers. For example regarding the importance of relating the content more clearly to students’ own lives and experiences. The results are also in line with previous research highlighting the importance of relevance, variation and student activity in science education.