A Nordic model in policy and practice? The case of immigrants and refugees in rural schools in Iceland and Sweden

Through a cross-national analysis of Iceland and Sweden, we investigate How are the two countries’ national and local educational systems ensuring access to education and social inclusion of immigrants and refugees? How do immigrant and refugee students talk about their agency in their classrooms, schools, and peer communities in rural contexts? Our analysis builds on fieldwork including classroom observations and interviews with immigrants (Iceland) and refugees (Sweden) aged 12–16 years, their teachers, and school principals, in four compulsory schools. The concept of ecology of equity is used to investigate power relations with regard to place and agency. The analysisalso includesinvestigation ofthepolitics oftheteaching profession in response to students’ diversity. Findings show that although some students describe that they do not feel “othered,” the majority, especially refugee students in Sweden, do feel excluded from theirpeers.TheIcelandicandSwedishruralschoolsareontheirownintacklingissuesofworking with these students, despite the fact that their practices may lead to reinforcing inequalities between schools and regions of the two countries. In this sense, the approach of the two countries does not reflect the ideals of the Nordic welfare system.Swedish Research CouncilRitrýnd grei

Locality and the Prevention of Early School Leaving: Supporting Youth Transitions to Upper Secondary School in a Highly Decentralised Education System

The introduction programme (IP) intends to facilitate transition to upper secondary education among Swedish youth with incomplete compulsory education. This article aims to explore and understand how local preconditions interact with schools’ support for the IP students. It looks at the local structural and institutional preconditions, and the strategies and work of head teachers, programme officers, teachers, and career counsellors, working in the IP in 90 municipalities of three categories: commuter municipalities close to big cities, rural municipalities, and small cities. The analysis builds on the responses from 139 school actors to a questionnaire, and on public statistics. On average, the commuter municipalities enjoy the most favourable structural and educational conditions, while the rural municipalities are the least resourceful, e.g. in terms of formal professional competence. Surprisingly however, the rural contexts on average perform better than the other municipalities regarding the level of graduation four years after starting the IP. There are few systematic local differences in the work with IP students. However, the IP in the rural municipalities on average enjoy higher support from school leaders, have a clearer division of responsibilities, and separate the students spatially to a lower degree compared to the commuter municipalities. Systematic handover between compulsory schools and the IP is less common in the commuter municipalities than in the other two groups. Whether these factors are relevant for explaining the higher success level in the rural schools and the lower success level in the schools in the commuter municipalities requires further investigation.</p

The academic–vocational divide in three Nordic countries: implications for social class and gender

In this study we examine how the academic–vocational divide is manifested today in Finland, Iceland and Sweden in the division between vocationally (VET) and academicallyoriented programmes at the upper-secondary school level. The paper is based on a critical re-analysis of results from previous studies; in it we investigate the implications of this divide for class and gender inequalities. The theoretical lens used for the synthesis is based on Bernstein´s theory of pedagogic codes. In the re-analysis we draw on previous studies of policy, curriculum and educational praxis as well as official statistics. The main conclusions are that contemporary policy and curriculum trends in all three countries are dominated by a neo-liberal discourse stressing principles such as “market relevance” and employability. This trend strengthens the academic–vocational divide, mainly through an organisation of knowledge in VET that separates it from more general and theoretical elements. This trend also seems to affect VET students’ transitions in terms of reduced access to higher education, particularly in male-dominated programmes. We also identify low expectations for VET students, manifested through choice of textbooks and tasks, organisation of teacher teams and the advice of career counsellors.</p

Counselling to stay or to leave? : Comparing career counselling of young people in rural and urban areas

Sweden may be wealthy, but uneven distributions of resources still affect students’ access to higher education and career choices. Some variation is linked to rural/urban divides, but myriads of other factors may also influence young people’s options in transitions. Here I explore these issues, using data collected from interviews with study and career counsellors in both rural and urban areas of Sweden, using a framework including Masseyian concepts of place, and horizons of action. The results confirm the general poverty of access in rural areas linked to limitations of locally available educational programmes, an associated tendency for counsellors to promote ‘learning to leave’, and hence ongoing ‘metrocentric’ flows to city centres. However, they also highlight (inter alia) the importance of students’ resources, which enable or constrain their ability to leave and breadth of opportunities (in rural and urban areas), and gendered socialisation factors that may promote or counter the flows

Transitions and trajectories for school students requiring additional support : a local lens

Background: In many countries, educational opportunities and choices may differ according to factors related to location. This may have a significant impact on young people’s life chances and trajectories. The in-depth, ethnographic study reported here focuses attention on rural/non-rural variations in transition programmes for school students requiring additional support. Purpose: The research sought to explore why, seemingly counterintuitively, students requiring additional support in rural Swedish areas might experience more successful transitions than students in some less rural locations. Methods: Data included field observations from selected municipalities and interviews with school staff and local officials. Using themes drawn from the data, the Local Learning Ecologies framework was adopted as an analysis tool to capture the detail of relevant macro-, micro- and intermediate-level factors and experiences. Findings: Fine-grained analysis of the rich data suggested that the national expansion of school choice and decentralisation in Sweden has affected the organisation of transition programmes. In particular, decentralisation has led to the concentration of national programme provision in city centres, meaning that some students in municipalities may have abundant options but require substantial commuting to access them. Overall, important factors for successful transitions may include short distances between school institutions (facilitating information flows); collaboration between teachers, other professionals and students, and clear options for students. Conclusions: The study highlights that although decentralisation may have, on the face of it, appeared to broaden options for young people in some (particularly commuter-belt) municipalities, their trajectories appear to have become more opaque and choices potentially more restricted. In contrast, short distances between institutions and better collaboration between staff, students and local entrepreneurs in rural municipalities seem to provide clearer options for students within transition programmes

Examinationer för elevinflytande?

Assessments for student influence? The aim of this article is to analyse the relation between assessments and student influence. This is done with examples from ethnographic material, with classroom observations and student and teacher interviews, by analysing two teachers’ pedagogic practices. The teachers were chosen since one teacher, in the interviews with the students, were mentioned as an example of having good pedagogic practice while the other as an example of the opposite. This was interesting because the first teacher left few possibilities to exercise influence while the other emphasised the students to exercise influence quite often. However, in none of the teachers’ pedagogic practices students’ own actions to influence were common. Here the teachers’ assessments seemed to be of great importance. Both teachers examined facts, and the most rational response from the students then were to ask the teachers to stand by the white board telling them what to learn for exams, rather than trying to influence the content of the pedagogic practice with contents of their own interest. The analysis demonstrate that if the students experience examinations as fixed, their motivation to influence the pedagogic practices seems demolished, regardless teachers intentions.Utbildning och lärande. Tidskrift</p

Perspectives of students with mental health problems on improving the school environment and practice

Mental health problems are increasingly common risk factors for chronic pain, while stressors in school are associated with persistent and recurrent pain among students, and negatively associated with educational achievements. Clearly, it is important to identify elements that influence frequencies or intensities of mental health problems. To assist such efforts, this study analysed views of interviewed upper secondary students, in terms of physical, social and mental spaces. The results corroborate previous findings, such as the importance of school staff members collaboratively addressing students’ problems. However, the participants also explicitly or implicitly suggested other improvements in school environments and practices that could help them to cope, thereby enhancing their functioning. These included treating mental health problems as general problems rather than problems of a specific group, to reduce stigmatisation and frequencies of symptoms. They also indicate that small interventions, e.g. providing help with structuring schoolwork and other activities may be surprisingly beneficial

“… it would be better if one could be involved in how things should bedone…” : an ethnographic study on student influence in upper secondary school

The aim of this study is to explore how young people act and the organisation of school practice, and what possibilities they have of influencing the content and the forms practiced. The study focuses on how the pedagogic practice is organised in two classes in their first year of upper secondary school, one Social Science programme class and one Vehicle programme class. This embraces questions as: How, where, when and for what cause do students act to influence, and then with what result? Are students offered influence, and in that case which students? How does the organisation of and the content in the pedagogic practice prepare students to act in order to be able to exert influence in the future? These questions have been studied with focus on differences between the programmes with regard to social background and gender. The thesis has its theoretical base in Bernstein’s theory of pedagogy and code (1990, 2000), feminist perspectives (Arnot, 2006; Arnot &amp; Dillabough, 2000; Connell, 1987; Gordon, 2006; Gordon, Holland &amp; Lahelma, 2000) as well as theories of structuration (Giddens, 1984). The empirical material of the thesis was ethnographically produced during one school year, through classroom observations, individual interviews with students, teachers and head teachers, and the gathering of school and teaching material. The main results in the analysis are that actions taken to gain influence were rare, that the organisation of and the content in the pedagogic practice was mainly focused on students as becoming, i. e. it focused students possibilities to be able to influence in the future and not the present. Furthermore, changing of pedagogic content or pedagogic forms was dependent on students’ own actions. There was a lack of teacher organisation to promote student influence. Finally, what was evaluated in the pedagogic practice, i.e. factual learning, did not promote student influence. The thesis demonstrates how pedagogic practice was gendered and classed, which had consequences for how students could influence and how students were prepared to influence in the future. Since the Social Science programme mostly attracts students from a middle-class background and the Vehicle programme those with a working-class background, the content in the programmes contributed to reproducing hierarchical social relations. The content for the Vehicle students proved to be simplified, personal and context dependent, whereas the content of the Social Science programme was more advanced, general and context independent, knowledge which, in argumentation for influence, is usually highly valued. In previous research, working class masculinities have often been associated with opposition towards study-oriented subjects. However, the current study indicates that there is an interest in studying Swedish, English and maths. The students argued that it was necessary for future employment, and that the Vehicle industry is now asking for this kind of knowledge.Akademisk avhandling för avläggande av filosofie doktorsexamen framläggs till offentligt försvar i D270, Högskolan i Borås, fredagen den 16 november 2012, kl. 13.00.</p

Examinationer för elevinflytande?

Assessments for student influence? The aim of this article is to analyse the relation between assessments and student influence. This is done with examples from ethnographic material, with classroom observations and student and teacher interviews, by analysing two teachers’ pedagogic practices. The teachers were chosen since one teacher, in the interviews with the students, were mentioned as an example of having good pedagogic practice while the other as an example of the opposite. This was interesting because the first teacher left few possibilities to exercise influence while the other emphasised the students to exercise influence quite often. However, in none of the teachers’ pedagogic practices students’ own actions to influence were common. Here the teachers’ assessments seemed to be of great importance. Both teachers examined facts, and the most rational response from the students then were to ask the teachers to stand by the white board telling them what to learn for exams, rather than trying to influence the content of the pedagogic practice with contents of their own interest. The analysis demonstrate that if the students experience examinations as fixed, their motivation to influence the pedagogic practices seems demolished, regardless teachers intentions.Utbildning och lärande. Tidskrift</p

Understanding career development amongst immigrant youth in a rural place

There is little research into the career trajectories and occupational aspirations of rural youth with immigrant backgrounds in Europe. This article presents new research based on field observations and interviews with five young immigrants of Persian descent in one rural town in Sweden. The findings highlighted gender differences in how the research participants felt their immigrant background would shape their future career plans and aspirations. The boys anticipated that by staying in the local town they might experience less of the stigma that they knew immigrants in urban areas often face. In contrast, the girls did not think of their rural home town as the best place to establish a career. One of the girls also spoke of an ambition to divide her working life between her new homeland and her family’s country of origin. The analysis stresses the importance of an intercultural understanding of both the local and the global when counselling immigrant youth in rural areas regarding their career choices