Consequences of differentiated policies and teaching practices in the Swedish school system : In Dennis Beach & Alan Dyson (eds), Equity and education in cold climates.

• In this chapter results from two longitudinal and nationally representative studies will be highlighted and discussed. The first study describes the extent and forms, integrated vs. segregated, of special education support offered to students in the Swedish compulsory school over a period of 29 years. The relationships between special education support, background variables and goal attainment in Grade 9 were studied as well. This study is based on about 35000 students born in 1972, 1977, 1982 and 1987. The second longitudinal study aimed to explore how head teachers (n=683) for older students and head teachers (n=250) for younger students in the Swedish compulsory school handled a range of special education issues in their schools. The results show that difficulties in school are still seen as being caused by student characteristics rather than shortcomings of the school and teaching practices. Some students do not receive equal opportunities to learn and flourish in school and thus run the risk of becoming socially excluded and marginalized in a here-and-now and a future perspective.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences (hsv//eng)

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kap (subject category)