| 1. |
- Cameron, David Lansing, et al.
(författare)
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A comparative study of special educator preparation in Norway and Sweden
- 2018
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Ingår i: British Journal of Special Education. - : Wiley. - 0952-3383 .- 1467-8578. ; 45:3, s. 256-276
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this study was to explore similarities and differences between special educator preparation in Norway and in Sweden. Graduates of special education programmes at two Norwegian (n = 320) and two Swedish universities (n = 425) who completed their training between 2001 and 2012 responded to surveys. Findings indicate that both Swedish and Norwegian graduates felt prepared for their current work and that teaching approaches employed in the different programmes were similar. However, there appears to be a stronger focus on pupils’ social goals in Sweden, as well as on advising teachers, school development and promoting inclusive environments. In contrast, Norwegian participants reported a greater focus on preparation to work with specific types of learning and behavioural difficulties. Findings are discussed in relation to differing political and social structures, such as national regulations for steering special educator preparation in Sweden, which are absent in the Norwegian context.
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| 2. |
- Göransson, Kerstin, et al.
(författare)
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Challenging Traditions? : Pupils in Need of Special Support in Swedish Independent Schools
- 2012
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Ingår i: Nordic Studies in Education. - Oslo : Universitetsforlaget. - 1891-5914 .- 1891-5949. ; 32:4, s. 262-280
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article presents the general situation for pupils in need of special support (PNSS) within the Swedish independent compulsory schools. The analysis is based upon a survey of all independent schools in Sweden. Results show that the amount of PNSS is lower in independent schools than in municipal schools and that a deficit perspective seems to be common regarding explanations of school problems. There is, however, great diversity among the schools. Conclusions are that the challenge of independent schools to the traditional way of conceiving education, regarding school choice, seems to be more effective less for some other groups of pupils than for PNSS and that there are few signs that independent schools challenge traditions in work with PNSS in municipal schools.
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| 3. |
- Göransson, Kerstin, et al.
(författare)
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Ideas about occupational roles and inclusive practices among special needs educators and support teachers in Sweden
- 2017
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Ingår i: Educational review (Birmingham). - : Informa UK Limited. - 0013-1911 .- 1465-3397. ; 69:4, s. 490-505
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Special needs educators and their counterparts are expected to play a significant role in schools' work towards inclusive practices. Studies do, however, indicate a rather diversified picture regarding the occupational groups assigned to work with special support and their workroles, within and between different countries. In Sweden, one can differentiate between two such occupational groups, special needs educators (SNEs) with qualifications in special educational needs at advanced level and support teachers (SuTs) with varying teacher education and education in special educational needs. The aims of this paper are to investigate the occurrence of SNEs and SuTs within the compulsory school system in ten municipalities in Sweden and the occupational roles of those SNEs and SuTs in relation to the inclusion agenda. A questionnaire was sent out in 2012 to all SNEs and SuTs in ten municipalities (n=511, response rate 61.6%). Main results indicate that: a) there is wide variation between municipalities regarding the extent to which SNEs or SuTs are assigned to work with special support; b) the characteristics of the occupational role of SNEs are more in line with inclusive practices than those of the role of SuTs; c) there is consensus between the two occupational groups regarding what they think should characterize the occupational role of SNEs; and d) SNEs consider, more than do the SuTs themselves, that the role of SuTs should be more in line with that of a ‘traditional special-education teacher’. Results are discussed in relation to Skrtic’s (1991, 1995) theoretical accounts of inclusive education and Abbott’s (1988) notion of jurisdictional control.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Göransson, Kerstin, 1955-, et al.
(författare)
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Inclusive education in Sweden? A critical analysis
- 2011
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Ingår i: International Journal of Inclusive Education. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1360-3116 .- 1464-5173. ; 15:5, s. 541-555
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- When it comes to pupils in need of special support and pupils with disabilities, Sweden's compulsory school system is sometimes considered a one-track system. This article analyses and critically discusses current policy and practices at various levels of Sweden's compulsory school system for these pupils. The analysis traces three themes at the national and municipal levels: (1) values and goals; (2) organisation and placement of pupils; and (3) importance of categories in obtaining support. A rather complex picture emerges from this analysis. Several conclusions are made: (1) state policies leave a lot of room for interpretation at the municipal and school levels, and this results in an extensive variation; (2) Swedish state policy is not as inclusive as is often stated; (3) celebration of difference seems to be hard to achieve; (4) learning goals can be a double-edged sword with regard to inclusion; and (5) most pupils appear to enjoy participation in school, and in an international perspective, Swedish classrooms seem to be largely democratic.
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| 6. |
- Göransson, Kerstin, et al.
(författare)
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Local school ideologies and inclusion : the case of Swedish independent schools
- 2013
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Ingår i: European Journal of Special Needs Education. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0885-6257 .- 1469-591X. ; 28:1, s. 49-63
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper reports on the development of a framework for the classification of local school ideologies in relation to inclusion that provides a tool for classifying the general educational direction as well as work with pupils in need of special support of individual schools. The framework defines different aspects of local school ideology in terms of values related to the societal level, school level and individual level of the education system. The paper also reports on a study exploring variations among Swedish independent schools, concerning local school ideology using the framework as a theoretical tool. In this qualitative analysis, eight schools were selected from results of a questionnaire to all Swedish independent schools (return rate 79.5%) for further analysis based on interviews with different categories of school personnel, parents and pupils. Five different patterns of local school ideologies were found more or less in line with values of inclusion, e.g. the holistic-inclusive and the market-oriented-exclusive. Results are discussed in relation to the multiple and sometimes competing objectives that every school has to deal with and make priorities between. Implications for pupils in need of special support in a school system rapidly undergoing marketisation are finally discussed.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Göransson, Kerstin, 1955-, et al.
(författare)
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Segregated education as a challenge to inclusive processes : a total population study of Swedish teachers' views on education for pupils with intellectual disability
- 2022
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Ingår i: International Journal of Inclusive Education. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1360-3116 .- 1464-5173. ; 26:14, s. 1367-1382
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many pupils with disabilities receive schooling in segregated contexts, such as special classes or special schools. Furthermore, the percentage of pupils educated in segregated settings has increased in many European countries. Studies suggest that there is high commitment to the general ideology of inclusive education among teachers in 'regular' education in many countries. This survey study investigates the views of teachers in segregated types of school about education. A questionnaire was sent out, in 2016, to all Swedish teachers (N = 2871, response rate 57.7%) working full time in special classes for pupils with intellectual disability (ID). On a general level results show that there is a strong commitment to preserving a segregated school setting for pupils with ID, a limited desire to cooperate with colleagues from 'regular schools' and a view that schooling and teaching are not quite compatible with the idea of inclusive education. The results highlight the importance of investigating processes of resistance within segregated schools to the development of inclusive schools and education systems. We argue that, while research and debate about inclusive education are important, both are insufficient without analyses of existing types of segregated schooling.
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| 9. |
- Göransson, Kerstin, et al.
(författare)
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Speciella yrken? Specialpedagogers och speciallärares arbete och utbildning : En enkätstudie
- 2015
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Forskningsprojektet ”Speciella yrken? Ett projekt om speciallärares och specialpedagogers arbete och utbildning” är finansierat av Vetenskapsrådet. I den här rapporten redovisas resultat från delprojekt 1. Syftet med rapporten är att ge en övergripande och representativ bild av specialpedagogers och speciallärares yrkesroll. Det empiriska materialet utgörs av data från en enkätundersökning som omfattar alla som tagit specialpedagog- eller speciallärarexamen från och med 2001 års examensordning (4252 personer, svarsfrekvens 75%). I rapporten redovisas vilka kunskaper och värderingar yrkesgrupperna bedömer att deras utbildning har resulterat i, vilka arbetsuppgifter de menar kännetecknar deras praktiserande av yrkesrollen, och även vilka förutsättningar yrkesgrupperna har att hävda en specifik expertis vad gäller att identifiera och arbeta med skolproblem. Rapporten riktar sig i främsta hand till praktiskt verksamma inom skolverksamheten på olika nivåer, lärarutbildare och blivande specialpedagoger och speciallärare.
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| 10. |
- Göransson, Kerstin, et al.
(författare)
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Voices of special educators in Sweden : a total-population study
- 2015
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Ingår i: Educational research (Windsor. Print). - London : Routledge. - 0013-1881 .- 1469-5847. ; 57:3, s. 287-304
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: There are two occupational groups in Sweden that are expected to have significant impact on educational work related to children in need of special support. These two groups are special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) and special education teachers. In this paper, we use the collective name special educators' to refer to both groups. Special educators are expected to have specific knowledge regarding the identification of, and work with, school difficulties. However, there is noticeably little research concerning these occupational groups. This study was undertaken in order to further our knowledge about special educators' work.Purpose: The overall purpose of the present paper is to provide a first overview of special educators' work. The paper investigates these special educators' perceptions of their occupational role, of their preparedness for the role and of how their role is practised. The paper also illuminates questions about SENCOs' and special education teachers' knowledge and values as well as the grounds for the occupational groups to claim special expertise related to the identification of, and work with, school difficulties.Design and method: A questionnaire was sent out in 2012 to all SENCOs and special education teachers in Sweden who received their degree from 2001 onwards and in accordance with the Swedish examination acts of 2001, 2007 and 2008 (N=4252, 75% response rate).Results: According to the results, special educators state that they are well prepared to work with some tasks, such as counselling, leading development work and teaching children/pupils individually or in groups. Concurrently, there are tasks that the groups are educated for (e.g. school-development work), which they seldom practise in their daily work.Conclusions: Primarily using reasoning concerning jurisdictional control, we discuss SENCOs' and special education teachers' authority to claim special expertise in relation to certain kinds of work, clients and knowledge and thus, their chances of gaining full jurisdictional control in the field of special education.
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