Hur långt kan man gå? : En kvalitativ studie om fyra pedagogers syn på elevinflytandes omfattning och förutsättningar

Student influence is a well debated subject and all Swedish teachers should let the students influence their education. According to research the student influence is generally low and something that varies from school to school. The school policy documents do not clarify how much impact the students get to have on their education and the impact is therefore something that every individual teacher decides. These individual differences are the reason of this study. This is a qualitative study about four teachers work and thoughts focusing on the subject of school democracy and student influence in the school environment. The study is based on qualitative interviews in order to highlight four different teacher’s thoughts. Previous scientific studies show that students do not utilize their right of impact that the school policy documents give them. According to the school policy documents all Swedish schools are obligated to teach about democracy, not only convey democratic values but also how to practice and use it. These facts made me want to look in to how teachers think about the responsibility they have to let the students influence their education. What conditions do they think have to exist in order to have student democracy? The conclusions of this study are that the meaning of the concept student influence varies between the four interviewed teachers and the teacher’s point of view does affect the extent of the student influence. The gain of student impact, that all teachers mention, is motivated students. The teachers all think that having an open dialogue with the students is of importance, as well as letting the students take responsibility for their actions. The teachers also talk about the importance of having a culture in the classroom that allows everyone to make mistakes without having to be ashamed of them. Some of the teachers thought that the way for students to make an impact on their education rather happens through the student councils than through having a say in their everyday life in school