Table of contents

The course is connected to the following study programs

Prerequisites

All other subjects in the programme must be passed. Primary teacher students must also have passed the praxis in the 4th year.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge: Through the work on the master's thesis the student will

  • Gain specialized insight into a topic within English subject didactics
  • Gain detailed knowledge about the current research, scientific theories, research methodologies, and ethics related to the master’s thesis
  • Have knowledge about how a research question relevant for English as a school subject can be formed

Skills: Through the work on the master's thesis the student will

  • Develop the ability to form research questions which are relevant for English teaching, analyze and explore these questions, and present the results in a scholarly manner
  • Develop the ability to critically assess national and international research and apply the gained knowledge in the work with the master’s thesis
  • Develop the ability to describe methodological, ethical, and theoretical questions and connect these to the master’s thesis

General competence: Through the work on the master's thesis the student will

  • Develop the ability to communicate advanced educational research and development work to varied audiences
  • Have given an independent contribution to the educational research with English didactics

Contents

The master's thesis is independent research based on a subject specific didactic theme in English literature, culture or language related to grades 5-10 in primary school. The thesis must be applied in nature and related to the teaching profession. The work must be carried out in cooperation with an appointed supervisor who must accept the research question. The student will have a supervisor appointed on the basis of a project description.

Teaching and learning methods

Compulsory tutorials (approximately 8 hours). Tutorials can be both individual and group based. The student and the supervisor sign a supervision contract. Estimated workload is between 800 and 900 hours.

Examination requirements

Approved participation in the obligatory tutorials based on submitted texts. · Approved and signed supervision contract. · Fulfilled conditions in the supervision contract.

Examinations

The master’s thesis can be written individually or in pairs. The master's thesis can take the form of a monograph or entrepreneurial development work. The two forms are considered equal.

For theses in the form of a monograph, the following applies:

The examination consists of a master’s thesis and an accompanying oral examination.

The thesis should be 40-50 pages/16000-20000 words (50-60 pages/20000-24000 words if the thesis is written in pairs). It may also include documentation and presentations that combine different media (e.g. text, images, video, audio). In such cases, the scope and format must be agreed upon with the supervisor.

The master's thesis is assessed separately and given a graded mark.

After the thesis has been assessed, an oral adjusting examination is held. The oral examination consists of two parts:

  • In part 1, the candidate gives a short presentation of the central findings of the thesis and describes the theories and methods used
  • In part 2, the thesis is discussed with the candidate

The oral examination may adjust the thesis grade by up to two grade steps. Graded assessment (A–F). The oral examinations are conducted individually, also for students writing in pairs. Students writing in pairs may receive different adjusted grades.

For theses in the form of an entrepreneurial development project, the following applies:

The master’s thesis consists of three parts:

  1. Development of a didactic product/concept with a user manual for the product/concept.
  2. Written justification and reflection. Recommended length: 6,750–8,250 words (9,000–11,000 words if the thesis is written in pairs).
  3. An oral examination which includes presentation of the project followed by a subject-specific discussion. Students who write the assignment in pairs also complete the oral examination with a presentation and subject discussion in pairs. The oral examination is filmed to allow for formal complaints.

A single overall grade is awarded for the thesis, and the three components are assessed together, with an approximate weighting of 50% for the didactic product and 25% for each of the two other components. All components must be assessed as passed in order for the thesis as a whole to be considered passed.

Graded assessment (A–F). Assignments written in pairs are assessed jointly, and the students receive the same grade.

Student evaluation

The person responsible for the course decides, in cooperation with student representative, the form of student evaluation and whether the course is to have a midway or end of course evaluation in accordance with the quality system for education, chapter 4.1.
Last updated from FS (Felles studentsystem) Oct. 15, 2026 8:55:31 AM