| 1. |
- Adolfsson, Carl-Henrik, Fil doktor, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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A study on policy pressures and power dynamics in the changing landscape of local school governance
- 2018
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim with this paper is to explore local school governance in the Swedish schooling system by focusing on the local authority and principals through a lens of neo-institutional theory. The study is conducted against a backdrop of current trends in global and national educational policy where it in the Swedish context is possible to identify two major shifts: new ways of how the state seeks to control the schools’ outcomes at the expense of the local authorities room for exercise of power– a ‘re-centralisation’the emergence of a new dynamic between the local authority and principals. In the early 1990s, the Swedish school system was decentralised and the municipalities were given authority for the governing of the schools. A new goal- and outcome-based quality system was introduced that put the municipalities in Sweden in a new position. However, during the last decades transnational organisations and associations such as the OECD and the EU have gained greater influence over education policy (Robertson & Dale, 2015). New policy spaces have emerged that transcend, but also converge within, national borders (Sassen, 2006). Accountability, standardisation and increased student results stand out as important ingredients in current global reform agendas (Wahlström & Sundberg, 2017a; Anderson-Levitt, 2008). In Sweden, declining student achievement in PISA has made policy-makers inclined to be informed by policy solutions from the OECD (Wahlström, 2017). Paired with a strong focus on student achievement, the notion of a school system in a state of crisis grew. Altogether, this have spurred an intensive critique against the decentralised schooling system and triggered a trend of ‘re-centralisation’ in Sweden, meaning a shift towards a more state-regulated governing of the school system (Wahlström & Sundberg, 2017; Adolfsson, 2013) . The government has introduced several reforms and incentives that involves the local management of schools. These include, for instance, a new national curriculum for the compulsory and the upper secondary schooling, a School Inspectorate for auditing and monitoring schools; A reformed Education Act emphasising the local authority’s responsibility for equity and student achievement, and strengthening the principals’ authority; Professional development programmes; and new specialist functions in school (Alvunger, 2015; Adolfsson & Alvunger, 2017). These policy movements have altogether challenged the relations between the state, the local authorities and the schools in Sweden. In light of these changes and with reference to the presented aim of this paper, we ask ourselves the following research questions:How do representatives of the local authority experience and respond to the pressure and influence from the state through the focus on equity and the improvement of student results in national educational policy discourse?What strategies do the local authority employ for governing the schools in the municipality?In what ways do principals respond to the tension in the ‘dual’ governance from the state and the local authority? The paper draws on a ‘classical’ theoretical and methodological framework of curriculum theory (i.e. the frame-factor theory), with its different levels of analysis – the societal/ideological level, the programmatic level; and the school/classroom level (Lundgren, 1972). When it comes to the more specific analysis of the consequences of the changed conditions of governing and exercise of control at the local policy level, a neo-institutional theoretical perspective will be used (Scott, 2008). From this perspective, three dimensions can be highlighted regarding how institutions seek to control and affect other institutions, respond to external pressure and seek legitimacy: regulative (rules and sanctions for legitimacy), normative (evaluation and moral legitimacy), and cognitive-cultural/discursive (shared conceptions and frames of meaning-making (2008). Methods and material This paper has a mixed-method design, where the research design aims at preserving the complexity and deepening the perspective of the research questions being addressed while at the same time obtaining different, but complementary data on the same phenomenon (Cresswell, 2010; Cresswell and Clark, 2007). The study of local governance with the local authority and principals is conducted in three steps. The first of the research questions, i.e. how representatives of the local authority experience and respond to policy pressure from the state, will be answered by using secondary data from a project that investigated the municipalities as policy actors in light of the implementation of the new national curriculum for compulsory schooling in Sweden (Wahlström & Sundberg, 2017). It includes a survey (n= 727) and interviews with representatives from local authorities in Sweden. The two remaining sets of research questions, comprising local authorities’ strategies for governing schools and principals’ responses, will be answered through a case study of a large municipality in southern Sweden (135 000 inhabitants) using a survey (n=61; response rate 62 %) to principals and 4 semi-structured focus-group interviews with principals and representatives of the local authority. The survey consisted of questions about experiences of the subsequent organisation, governing structures, the communication of aims between different levels, collaborative structures and arenas, professional development, curriculum support and the role of functions for school development. The quantitative data was then analysed and used for asking follow-up and questions in the interviews, targeting specific items regarding experiences of expectations from the institutional environment, policy pressures, governing structures and strategies to cope with certain arrangements in the environment. The interviews thus provided complementary qualitative data and gave a richer description of the principals’ views. Expected outcomes Representatives from the local authority emphasise that the national governance of schools to a higher extent and in a more explicit way is directed towards the schools as units as a result the recent educational reforms. They claim that the autonomy of principals following the Education act has created greater clarity. Meanwhile, it has impeded their agency in matters concerning enactment of government policy and curriculum. In combination with the emphasis on local authorities as being responsible for quality assurance, allocating resources for equity and student achievement, the local authorities’ ability to control internal processes of schools has decreased significantly. It seems that local authorities’ space for regulative sanctions and mechanisms has been weakened. In order to compensate, local authorities apply strategies of soft governance for controlling the schools. These strategies are characterised by normative and cognitive/discursive dimension and may be comprised by one or a combination of the following:Re-structuring the organisation and controlling communicationUse expert teachers to monitor and control internal professional development/school improvement efforts of schoolsCompetition through rewarding schools which comply to reforms, show best practice and have high-performing studentsStandardisation measures to ensure greater coherence and compliance The principals describe a more generous space for action with the Education act, but they also experience a higher degree of pressure to improve student achievement and goal attainment, both from the local authority and from the state. This pressure is expressed in different ways. The local authority presents comparisons of results between schools which triggers competition. The principals are bound to report results or other statistical data on request, which in turn may cause a negative pressure from their teachers. In addition, principals describe how a lot of resources in terms of time and money are invested to ‘pass’ inspections from the national agency. ReferencesAdolfsson, C-H. (2013). Kunskapsfrågan – En läroplansteoretisk studie om gymnasieskolans reformer mellan 1960-talet och 2010-talet [The question of knowledge – a curriculum study of the Swedish upper secondary school reforms between the 1960s and 2010s]. Dissertation, Linnaeus University. Adolfsson, C-H., & Alvunger, D. (2017). The nested systems of local school development : Understanding improved interaction and capacities in the different sub-systems of schools. Improving Schools. 20. 195-208. Alvunger, D. (2015).
Towards new forms of educational leadership? The local implementation of förstelärare in Swedish schools.
Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy, 1(3), 55–66. Anderson-Levitt, K. M. (2008). Globalization and curriculum. In: M. F. Connelly (Ed.), The Sage handbook of curriculum and instruction (pp. 349–368). London: Sage Publications.Creswell, J. W. (2010). Mapping the developing landscape of mixed methods research. In A. Tashakkori, & C. Teddlie (Eds.), Sage handbook of mixed methods in social & behavioral research (pp. 45–68). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. (2007). Designing and conducting mixed methods. London: SAGE.Lundgren, U.P. (1972). Frame factors and the teaching process: A contribution to curriculum theory and theory of teaching. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell. Robertson, S., & Dale, R. (2015). Towards a ‘critical cultural political economy’ account of the globalising of education, Globalisation, Societies and Education, 13(1), 149–170, DOI: 10.1080/14767724.2014.967502Sassen, S. (2006). Territory, authority, rights: From medieval to global assemblages. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Scott, W. (2008). Approaching Adulthood: The Maturing of Institutional Theory. Theory and Society, 37(5), 427-442.Wahlström, N., &
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| 2. |
- Adolfsson, Carl-Henrik, Fil doktor, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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Power dynamics and policy actions in the changing landscape of local school governance
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 2002-0317. ; 6:2, s. 128-142
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper, we theorize on local school governance through a multi-method case study of a large-sized Swedish municipality by drawing on neo-institutional theory. In light of a changing governing landscape in Sweden in terms of a ‘re-centralization’, new conditions between the state, the local education authorities (LEA) and the schools have emerged. The aim of this study is to examine what policy actions the LEA employ for governing the school and in what ways that principals respond and handle these policy actions. The results point to the fact that the LEA uses a bench-marking strategy through its quality assurance system and intervene if results are poor. Principals seek support from the LEA, but are anxious that their autonomy will be diminished and therefore function as ‘gate-. The system for quality assurance is appreciated by principals, but standards aimed at framing discursive communication on quality are criticized. Principals turn to managers below the superintendent, which creates a tension between managers. The study shows that different levels and actors must be taken into account in order to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the multi-layered field of local policy enactment.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Adolfsson, Carl-Henrik, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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The nested systems of local school development : Understanding improved interaction and capacities in the different sub-systems of schools
- 2017
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Ingår i: Improving Schools. - : Sage Publications. - 1365-4802 .- 1475-7583. ; 20:3, s. 195-208
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In school systems around the world, there is an increasing focus on students’ academic achievement. The challenge of how to improve schools is an important issue for all levels in the school system. However, a central question of both practical and theoretical relevance is how it is possible to understand why (or why not) school-development efforts are successful. The purpose of this article is to explore the ecology of local school development through the case of a medium-sized municipality in Sweden, based on empirical data from two follow-up research projects. The analytical framework draws from organisational theory and new institutional theory, where focus is directed towards how different sub-systems of the school organisation interact with and respond to aspects of development work and the implications for outcomes of school-development initiatives. Findings show that great investment of resources from the central level in the local school organisation necessarily does not lead to changes in teaching practice. School-development initiatives are unlikely to be successful unless they engage and re-couple the involved sub-systems. Finally, we discuss how the introduction of Expert Teachers as a new sub-system has the ability to work as a link between other sub-systems and to promote school development.
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| 7. |
- Adolfsson, Carl-Henrik, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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The Selection of Content and Knowledge Conceptions in Teaching in the era of standard based policy reforms
- 2017
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Selection of Content and Knowledge Conceptions in Teaching in the era of standard based policy reforms Proposal information (research question, theoretical framework so on) (600 words) This study is part of the project 'Understanding Curriculum Reforms - A Theory-Oriented Evaluation of the Swedish Curriculum Reform Lgr 11'. In the last two decades transnational organizations and agreements have become increasingly important as driving forces in the making of curriculum. The international education policy movement towards so-called standards-based curricula has been characterized by top-down accountability and linear dissemination (Andersson-Levitt, 2008; Sivesind & Karseth, 2010). This also applies to the formation of Swedish curriculum policy discourses. The latest Swedish curriculum for compulsory School “Lgr11” can foremost be described in line with such a standards-based curriculum, where the objectives and standards, but also the content, are prescribed and put in the foreground for what students ought to do and know (Sundberg & Wahlström, 2012).Although these policies are transnational and nationally oriented, it is in the same time up to schools and teachers on the local level to interpret and enact the curriculum, in classrooms and in the interaction between teachers and students. This unarguably raises questions about the curriculum-in-use, i.e. how is teaching performed? The ‘what’ that is prescribed in the (trans-)national policy is one thing, but researchers rarely take notice of the fact that recontextualisation, selection, translation, relocation and refocus of content indeed occurs in the local school setting. Therefore, the overall aim of this paper is to explore how a standards-based oriented curriculum, Lgr 11, is enacted at the local school level.In a first step, the process of the selection of teaching content will be studied. A central question here is how and on what foundations the selection of teaching content is made when prescribed content and learning outcomes is given a central role in the curriculum structure? Secondly – which relates to the selection of content – we examine how the same curriculum is achieved in teaching and learning practices at classroom level in terms of knowledge content. What content seems to dominate the teaching in favour for another under a standard-based oriented curriculum like Lgr 11?To understand the conditions for teachers’ selection of content we bring theoretical inspiration from a “classical” framework of curriculum theory in terms of the “frame-factor theory” (Dahlöf, 1967; Lundgren, 1989). This theoretical perspective puts the relationship between teaching processes, outcomes and external (frame-) factors in focus. In other words, to understand processes and outcomes in the teaching practice you have to, from this theoretical perspective, analyse the frame-factors, for example time, equipment, the composition of the class and (of course) the current curriculum, that in different ways enable and limit these processes and outcomes. When we in a next step examine the curriculum content in teaching we bring inspiration from Deng & Luke’s (2008) discussion about different knowledge classification schemes and conceptions. From this discussion we derived three conceptions of knowledge, in terms of an academic disciplinary knowledge conception; a practical knowledge conception and an experiential” knowledge conception. These knowledge conceptions will be used to identify and discuss different aspects of lesson content in the investigated teaching practice. Methodology and method (400 words) With a classical curriculum theory framework, the present study focus on teaching and lesson content in terms of enacted and achieved curricula. In other words, and with Doyle’s (1990) conceptual framework, we are interesting in the relationship between the programmatic and classroom level of the curriculum. This in turn links us to classic classroom studies addressed by e.g. Bellack, Kliebard et al.1966; Gustafsson 1977; Jackson 1968/1990; Lundgren 1981, but now against a backdrop of the ‘new’ scenario of transnational policy.The study is based on an extensive empirical material from six municipalities in Sweden and consists of three different sources. Firstly, semi-structured interviews with representatives from the local school authority, teachers, principals and students in grade 6 (12-13 years old) where the main focus has been their views on the impact of the curriculum for the compulsory school Lgr11 with particular attention on the organisation of teaching, the dominating content in teaching and the interaction between teacher and students and students and students. Secondly, documents related to teaching such as local pedagogical plans, lesson plans, tests, work sheets, material produced by students and so on have been analysed. Thirdly, 71 lessons of teaching in the social studies subjects Civics, History, Geography, Religion have been video-recorded, transcribed, coded and analysed from organisation of teaching, content and the interaction in the classroom. The study on teachers’ selection of content will mainly draw from interviews and documents in order to look at contextual factors, while the analysis of knowledge content in teaching generally is based on interviews with teachers and 71 video-recorded lessons.Conclusion (300 words) In the last section of the paper, we will discuss the empirical results in relation to our theoretical points of departure. Here we show how the Swedish curriculum in great extent is influenced by a standards-based tradition where both content and performance are put in the foreground. From a frame-factor theoretical perspective we then discuss the consequences on the possibilities for the teachers selecting content. Besides struggling with the crowding of content teachers are under constant pressure to hold on to a tight schedule in order for the different curriculum tasks to fit into an over-arching plan for the whole semester. The teachers have to make sure that they can assess knowledge and competences according to the knowledge requirements in the “time slots” reserved for each curriculum task in the subjects. Teachers indeed focus on central concepts deriving from academic disciplines foregrounded in the syllabuses, while they at the same time employ a strategy to patch subjects and their specific content together.The analysis of the video recorded lesson show that the general pattern of teaching comes in the shape of whole class teaching with the teacher as central actor. Because the teacher has to ensure that all students get the ability to reach the knowledge requirements, the lesson content to a great extent is prescribed and comes in the shape of subject matter-oriented facts, concepts and competences. Because of the combination of crowding of content, teachers’ time constraint and the knowledge requirements in the curriculum, our results also show that teachers – more or less – have to neglect initiatives from students in order to keep the lesson on the “right” track. Content that is not considered to fit in the current lesson, for example student’s experiences, interests and questions, is to a high degree dismissed. References Andersson-Levitt, K. M. (2008), Globalization and curriculum, in M. F. Con-nelly, red, The SAGE Handbook of Curriculum and Instruction, (s 329-348), Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, California.Bellack, A.A.; Kliebard, H.M.;Hyman, R.T. & Smith, F.L. (1966). The language of the classroom. New York: Teachers College Press. Deng, Z & Luke, A (2008). Subject matter. Defining and theorizing school subjects. In connnelly, Michael (Ed). The SAGE Handbook of Curriculum and Instruction. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publication.Dahllöf, U. 1967: Skoldifferentiering och undervisningsförlopp [School differentiation and teaching processes]. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell.Gustafsson, C. (1977). Classroom Interaction. A study of pedagogical roles in the teaching process. Stockholm: Gotab. Jackson, P. W. (1968/1990). Life in classrooms. New York: Teachers College Press. Lundgren, U. P. (1981). Model analysis of pedagogical processes. Lund: Liber/Gleerup. Lundgren, U. P. (1989), Att organisera omvärlden [Organising the world around us], Utbildningsförlaget, Stockholm.Sivesind, K. & Karseth, B. (2010), Conceptualising curriculum knowledge within and beyond the national context, European Journal of Education 45 (1),103- 120.Sundberg, D. & Wahlström, N. (2012), Standards-based curricula in a denationalized conception of education: The case of Sweden, European Educational Research Journal 11 (3), 342–356.Utbildningsdepartementet (The Ministry of Education) (2011). Läroplan för grundskolan, förskoleklassen och fritidshemmet 2011 (Lgr 11). [Curriculum for the Compulsory School, Preschool Class and the Leisure-time Centre 2011; in Swedish]. Stockholm: National Agency for Education.
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- Adolfsson, Carl-Henrik, 1976-
(författare)
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Att få gymnasieelver att välja rätt : Relationen mellan gymnasieelevers valfrihet och gymnasieskolans ekonomiska funktion i utbildningspolicy mellan 1960- och 2010-talet
- 2015
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Ingår i: Curriculum and national identity - Nordic divergences? 6th Nordic Curriculum Theory Conference, 21-22 October, Örebro University, Sweden.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Med en arbetsmarknad som kännetecknas av att vara såväl kunskapsintensiv som differentierad lyfts många gånger skola och utbildning fram som något helt avgörande för både den enskilde individens och nationens sociala och ekonomiska välstånd. Detta är dock inget nytt fenomen. Gymnasieskolans betydelse för ekonomisk tillväxt och konkurrenskraft är något som starkt har betonats i svensk utbildningspolicy från 1960-talet och framåt. Även om detta ekonomiska imperativa har haft och har mycket stort inflytande på gymnasieskolans läroplan är det dock inte det enda. Vid sidan om uppfattningen om utbildningens ekonomiska potentital växte sig tidigt, med inspiration från bland annat progressivismen, idéer om den individualiserade undervisningen fram. Elevens behov, aspirationer och möjligheter att själv ha inflytande över sin utbildning skulle med detta sättas i centrum för undervisningen. Inte heller dessa idéer har kommit att minska i betydelse över tid utan snarare stärkts. Två idésystem går därmed att urskilja i gymnasieskolans utbildningspolicy alltsedan 1960-talet och framåt. Å ena sidan bör gymnasieskolan anpassas till de krav som arbetsliv och samhället i övrigt ställer samtidigt som det å andra sidan också bör ges möjligheter för den enskilda eleven att själv kunna välja och bestämma inriktning och innehåll över sin egen utbildning. Syftet med detta paper är att studera hur spänningsförhållande mellan dessa två idésystem, gymnasieskolans ekonomiska funktion och elevers valfrihet, har hanterats i gymnasieskolans utbildningspolicy mellan 1960-talet och 2010 - talet.Utifrån ett ”klassiskt” läroplansteoretiskt perspektiv (Lundgren, 1979, 1983; Englund, 1986) och med inspiration från Carol Lee Bacchis (1999) ”what’s the problem”-ansats riktas i studien intresset mot de utbildningspolitiska problem och tillika lösningar som tre gymnasiereformer (Lgy 70, Lpf 94 och Gy11) över tid varit uppbyggda kring och hur det i sin tur format synen på gymnasieskolans ekonomiska funktion och gymnasieelevens valfrihet. Följande frågor står specifikt i fokus för studien:- Vilka förskjutningar respektive kontinuiteter går att urskilja i gymnasieskolans utbildningsreformer mellan 1960-talet och 2010-talet med avseende på uppfattningen om elevens förmåga, eller oförmåga att göra rationella val inom ramen för sin utbildning?- Hur har samtidigt denna uppfattning om elevers valfrihet hanterats i relation till gymnasieskolans ekonomiska funktion? Tre större gymnasiereformer har implementerats i Sverige efter det andra världskriget: Lgy 70, Lpo 94 och Gy 11. Fokus för studien utgörs av respektive reformperiods huvuddokument (SOU 1963:43; SOU 1992:94 och SOU 2008:27). I ett första steg riktas intresset mot de problembilder som målades upp i respektive utbildningsreform samt vilka utbildningspolitiska idéer som samtidigt presenterades som lösningen på dessa problem. I ett nästa steg studeras vad dessa idéer innebar för hur relationen ovan skulle hanteras på ett effektivt och legitimit sätt. Till sist fokuseras de förändringar och kontinuiteter som kan urskiljas över tid, från 1960-talet fram till 2010-talet. Under alla tre reformperioder framhölls explicit betydelsen av en gymnasieskola av hög kvalitet för att därigenom underbygga ekonomisk tillväxt och konkurrenskraft, men beroende på den historiska och samhälleliga kontexten kom olika utbildningspolitiska lösningar för att erhålla en sådan utbildning att vinna legitimitet. Detta fick i sin tur implikationer för hur relationen mellan gymnasieelevers individuella aspirationer och gymnasieskolans ekonomiska funktion hanterades inom ramen för samma utbildningsreform. På 1960-talet kom lösningen att behandlas inom ramen för en centraliserad välfärdsorienterad utbildningsdiskurs där statens uppgift och förmåga att styra skolan och samhällsutveckling på ett rationellt och effektivt sätt starkt betonades. Även om en individualiserad undervisning framhölls som något eftersträvansvärt inom den utbildningspolitiska retoriken gavs liten eller ingen tilltro till den enskilda elevens förmåga att göra rationella val. Under 1990-talets reformperiod går det att urskilja en tydlig förskjutning mot en marknadsorienterad utbildningsdiskurs. Studenters valfrihet och inflytande över sin utbildning sågs nu på många sätt som lösningen på flera utbildningspolitiskaproblem, i synnerhet hur kvalitén på gymnasieskolan skulle öka. Under den tredje reformperioden (2010-talet) sker en förskjutning mot en reglerad marknadsorienterad utbildningsdiskurs. I denna diskurs kritiseras elevers valfrihet och ses på många sätt som orsaken till flera problem såsom sjunkande elevresultat och att elever överlag är dåligt förberedda för framtida studier och arbetsliv. Med en arbetsmarknad som kännetecknas av att vara såväl kunskapsintensiv som differentierad lyfts många gånger skola och utbildning fram som något helt avgörande för både den enskilde individens och nationens sociala och ekonomiska välstånd. Detta är dock inget nytt fenomen. Gymnasieskolans betydelse för ekonomisk tillväxt och konkurrenskraft är något som starkt har betonats i svensk utbildningspolicy från 1960-talet och framåt. Även om detta ekonomiska imperativa har haft och har mycket stort inflytande på gymnasieskolans läroplan är det dock inte det enda. Vid sidan om uppfattningen om utbildningens ekonomiska potentital växte sig tidigt, med inspiration från bland annat progressivismen, idéer om den individualiserade undervisningen fram. Elevens behov, aspirationer och möjligheter att själv ha inflytande över sin utbildning skulle med detta sättas i centrum för undervisningen. Inte heller dessa idéer har kommit att minska i betydelse över tid utan snarare stärkts. Två idésystem går därmed att urskilja i gymnasieskolans utbildningspolicy alltsedan 1960-talet och framåt. Å ena sidan bör gymnasieskolan anpassas till de krav som arbetsliv och samhället i övrigt ställer samtidigt som det å andra sidan också bör ges möjligheter för den enskilda eleven att själv kunna välja och bestämma inriktning och innehåll över sin egen utbildning. Syftet med detta paper är att studera hur spänningsförhållande mellan dessa två idésystem, gymnasieskolans ekonomiska funktion och elevers valfrihet, har hanterats i gymnasieskolans utbildningspolicy mellan 1960-talet och 2010 - talet.Utifrån ett ”klassiskt” läroplansteoretiskt perspektiv (Lundgren, 1979, 1983; Englund, 1986) och med inspiration från Carol Lee Bacchis (1999) ”what’s the problem”-ansats riktas i studien intresset mot de utbildningspolitiska problem och tillika lösningar som tre gymnasiereformer (Lgy 70, Lpf 94 och Gy11) över tid varit uppbyggda kring och hur det i sin tur format synen på gymnasieskolans ekonomiska funktion och gymnasieelevens valfrihet. Följande frågor står specifikt i fokus för studien:- Vilka förskjutningar respektive kontinuiteter går att urskilja i gymnasieskolans utbildningsreformer mellan 1960-talet och 2010-talet med avseende på uppfattningen om elevens förmåga, eller oförmåga att göra rationella val inom ramen för sin utbildning?- Hur har samtidigt denna uppfattning om elevers valfrihet hanterats i relation till gymnasieskolans ekonomiska funktion? Tre större gymnasiereformer har implementerats i Sverige efter det andra världskriget: Lgy 70, Lpo 94 och Gy 11. Fokus för studien utgörs av respektive reformperiods huvuddokument (SOU 1963:43; SOU 1992:94 och SOU 2008:27). I ett första steg riktas intresset mot de problembilder som målades upp i respektive utbildningsreform samt vilka utbildningspolitiska idéer som samtidigt presenterades som lösningen på dessa problem. I ett nästa steg studeras vad dessa idéer innebar för hur relationen ovan skulle hanteras på ett effektivt och legitimit sätt. Till sist fokuseras de förändringar och kontinuiteter som kan urskiljas över tid, från 1960-talet fram till 2010-talet. Under alla tre reformperioder framhölls explicit betydelsen av en gymnasieskola av hög kvalitet för att därigenom underbygga ekonomisk tillväxt och konkurrenskraft, men beroende på den historiska och samhälleliga kontexten kom olika utbildningspolitiska lösningar för att erhålla en sådan utbildning att vinna legitimitet. Detta fick i sin tur implikationer för hur relationen mellan gymnasieelevers individuella aspirationer och gymnasieskolans ekonomiska funktion hanterades inom ramen för samma utbildningsreform. På 1960-talet kom lösningen att behandlas inom ramen för en centraliserad välfärdsorienterad utbildningsdiskurs där statens uppgift och förmåga att styra skolan och samhällsutveckling på ett rationellt och effektivt sätt starkt betonades. Även om en individualiserad undervisning framhölls som något eftersträvansvärt inom den utbildningspolitiska retoriken gavs liten eller ingen tilltro till den enskilda elevens förmåga att göra rationella val. Under 1990-talets reformperiod går det att urskilja en tydlig förskjutning mot en marknadsorienterad utbildningsdiskurs. Studenters valfrihet och inflytande över sin utbildning sågs nu på många sätt som lösningen på flera utbildningspolitiskaproblem, i synnerhet hur kvalitén på gymnasieskolan skulle öka. Under den tredje reformperioden (2010-talet) sker en förskjutning mot en reglerad marknadsorienterad utbildningsdiskurs. I denna diskurs kritiseras elevers valfrihet och ses på många sätt som orsaken till flera problem såsom sjunkande elevresultat och att elever överlag är dåligt förberedda för framtida studier och arbetsliv.
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