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Learning and work life can be seen as related (Billet 2001; Fjellström and Kristmansson, 2019) and research in VET context is undergoing a renaissance as research is growing (Andersson 2019; Michelsen, Stenström, Jørgensen, Olsen and Thunqvist 2018) and reviews regarding VET are still rare (Gessler and Siemer, 2020). This paper focuses on research in a Nordic perspective with an aim to identify and analyse published articles in relation to geography of authors, stated keywords and methods. The paper presents a scoping review of research in the field of learning and work life between 2015 and 2021 in a Nordic perspective. It is divided into three parts that follow the research questions. The first part presents an overview of the topics that are studied in the field of learning and work life within the Nordic countries. In the second part the focus is on the different methods that are used in the research field. The final part highlights the question related to region/university-specific topics within Nordic research on learning and work life.

Methodology: The methodological approach is a scoping research review. Web of science, ERIC, Scopus, SWEPub, Oria, BiblioteketDK, and Finna have been used to identify 1067 articles in the specific research area. All articles were divided into three groups that were analysed according to the following criteria: keywords, author´s affiliation, geographic areas of research and methodological approaches. This process resulted in a total of 886 articles as the analytical work also identified articles that didn't meet the search criteria. NVIVO and SciMAT were used in the analytical process.

Outcomes: In relation to what the articles claim to focus on, the keywords used in the different articles show how the authors classify and interpret their research. Preliminary results show differences in research topics in the Nordic countries. Further, common combinations of methods are interviews and observations. Thus, research in a Nordic perspective is in many cases following the same methodological design. Finally, the results indicate that there are differences in research focus from a geographical perspective.

References: Billett, S. (2020). Learning in the workplace: Strategies for effective practice. Routledge.Cobo, M. J., López‐Herrera, A. G., Herrera‐Viedma, E., & Herrera, F. (2012). SciMAT: A new science mapping analysis software tool. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 63(8), 1609-1630.Fjellström, M., & Kristmansson, P. (2019). Constituting an apprenticeship curriculum. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 51(4), 567-581.Gessler, M., & Siemer, C. (2020). Umbrella review: Methodological review of reviews published in peer-reviewed journals with a substantial focus on vocational education and training research. International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training, 7(1), 91-125.Michelsen, S., Stenström, M. L., Jørgensen, C. H., Olsen, O. J., & Thunqvist, D. P. (Eds.). (2018). Vocational education in the Nordic Countries. Routledge.