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Staff photo Jenny Hellgren

Jenny Hellgren

Teacher and researcher in science education, with focus on motivation, scientific writing and that science education should be accessible and meaningful for everyone.

Educational qualifications: Recognised university teacher

Works at

Affiliation
Location
Naturvetarhuset, huskropp A, plan 5, Johan Bures väg 16 Umeå universitet, 901 87 Umeå

My research and my teaching are both based on the premise that people are fundamentally curious and eager to learn new things, and that the natural sciences provide an excellent context for this. Observation, exploration, and the ability to engage in reasoning and argumentation are essential skills in both education and in life. My work has several tracks and there are some recurring themes. The first is motivation, the understanding that motivation is the foundation for learning, and that knowledge about motivation is a crucial part of teacher education and pedagogical knowledge. The second is that learning occurs in interaction with others, not only within school but also in encounters with, for example, researchers and society, which provide relevance and authenticity to the scientific knowledge. The third is the importance of argumentation, that learning goes beyond understanding, and is deepened by the ability to express oneself to others. Lastly, subject didactics, and particularly how learning in the natural sciences interacts with other disciplines.

My teaching is described under a separate tab, and below I briefly describe some of the projects I am working on or have worked on.

  • Time and Space for Learning in the Natural Sciences: This project is led by Urban Eriksson at Uppsala University and focuses on understanding small and large scales within the natural sciences, such as scales measuring small distances in molecular biology and long time periods in cosmological and evolutionary processes.
  • Forskarhjälpen: I have conducted studies on the projects Medicinjakten (2011) and Spindeljakten (2018). The studies related to Medicinjakten focused on students' motivation, experiences, and engagement. The focus of Spindeljakten focused on teachers' views of science education and how it relates to choices, values, and classroom practices.
  • Multipliers: This is an EU project about Open schooling and students' dissemination of scientific knowledge. The first part of the project has the theme Forest Use and Forest Protection, and teaching materials have been published.

I hold doctoral degrees in Educational Work (Umeå University, 2016) and Plant Physiology (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 2003).

LMNT-nytt, (1) : 7-9
Eriksson, Urban; Hellgren, Jenny
Forum för forskningsbaserad NT-undervisning (FobasNT) - konferens 2023, Norrköping, Sverige, 18-19 oktober, 2023
Hellgren, Jenny; Varg, Lina; Forsgren, Helen; et al.
Busting post-truth in the science classroom, Tartu: University of Tartu 2023 : 29-36
Vaino, Katrin; Hellgren, Jenny
GIREP 2022 conference (International Research Group on Physics Teaching). Ljubljana, Slovenia, July 4-8, 2022.
Euler, Elias; Hellgren, Jenny; Eriksson, Urban
AAPT 2022 Summer Meeting (American Association of Physics Teachers). Grand Rapids, MI, USA, July 9-10, 2022
Euler, Elias; Hellgren, Jenny; Eriksson, Urban
ESERA 2021, the 14th Conference of the European Science Education Research Association, Online via University of Minho, Braga, Portugal, August 30 - September 3, 2021
Almarlind, Pia; Sullivan Hellgren, Jenny Maria
Bridging Research and Practice in Science Education: Selected Papers from the ESERA 2017 Conference, Springer 2019 : 107-122
Hellgren, Jenny M.
NorDiNa: Nordic Studies in Science Education, Oslo University 2019, Vol. 15, (3) : 299-312
Hellgren, Jenny Maria
13th Conference of the European Science Education Research Association (ESERA), Bologna, Italy, August 26-30, 2019
Hellgren, Jenny; Ottander, Katarina; Ottander, Christina
XVIII Symposium of the International Organization for Science and Technology Education, Malmö, Sweden, August 13-17, 2018
Hellgren, Jenny; Ottander, Katarina; Ottander, Christina
ESERA 2017, 12th Conference of the European Science Education Research Association, Dublin, Ireland, August 21-25, 2017
Hellgren, Jenny
Research in Science & Technological Education, Abingdon: Taylor & Francis 2017, Vol. 35, (4) : 409-426
Hellgren, Jenny M.; Lindberg, Stina
NFSUN 2017: Abstracts : 57-57
Sullivan Hellgren, Jenny
NFSUN 2017: Abstracts : 55-55
Sullivan Hellgren, Jenny; Bergqvist, Ewa; Österholm, Magnus
Narratives of doctoral studies in science education: making the transition from educational practitioner to researcher, Routledge 2016 : 56-67
Hellgren, Jenny M.
Doktorsavhandlingar i pedagogiskt arbete, 65
Hellgren, Jenny Maria
11th Conference of the European Science Education Research Association (ESERA 2015),31 aug - 4 sept 2015, Helsinki, Finland
Hellgren, Jenny
Nordic Research Symposium on Science Education (NFSUN): Inquiry-Based Science Education in Technology-Rich Environments, 4th – 6th June 2014, Helsinki, Finland
Hellgren, Jenny M
Nordic Research Symposium on Science Education (NFSUN): Inquiry-Based Science Education in Technology-Rich Environments, 4th – 6th June 2014, Helsinki, Finland
Hellgren, Jenny M; Stewart, Kirsty; Sullivan, Kirk PH
European Journal of Psychology of Education, Springer 2014, Vol. 29, (4) : 673-691
Winberg, Mikael T.; Hellgren, Jenny M.; Palm, Torulf
Advances in Mobile and Distance Learning (AMDL)
Sullivan, Kirk P H; Czigler, Peter E.; Sullivan Hellgren, Jenny M.
Nationellt centrum för matematikutveckling 2010
Palm, Torulf; Hellgren, Jenny; Winberg, Mikael
Plant Physiology, ASPB Publications 2004, Vol. 135, (1) : 212-220
Hellgren, Jenny M; Olofsson, Kjell; Sundberg, Björn
The Plant Journal, Blackwell Publishing 2003, Vol. 34, (3) : 339-349
Andersson-Gunnerås, Sara; Hellgren, Jenny M; Björklund, Simon; et al.
Acta Universitatis Agriculturae Sueciae Silvestria, 268
Hellgren, Jenny Maria

Research projects

22 November 2021 until 31 October 2024

I am a qualified secondary school teacher in Chemistry and Biology. My teaching includes primary and secondary pre-service teachers, and the disciplines science education, motivation and scientific writing. I have long experience in supervising degree theses and find the work very rewarding.