Svenskämnet och demokratiuppdraget. Lärares syn på litteraturundervisning som demokratiarbete

Abstract

This article focuses on the possibility of integrating citizenship education in Swedish language courses after the reform of Swedish upper secondary school in 2011. The study is based on qualitative interviews with eight Swedish language teachers. All subjects answered questions about their views on literature education in connection to citizenship education. The study shows that teachers can use their interpretation of the written curriculum as a way of appropriating, refusing or negotiating with the governing policies. In several cases, teachers choose to downplay the relevance of the written curriculum and base their pedagogical choices on their own experience as teachers instead. The study also examines the teachers’ views on democracy and entrepreneurship in education, and shows how tests and administrative duties can influence the teachers’ pedagogical choices.