The school has a democratic fostering mission, as it is tasked with conveying and anchoring respect for fundamental democratic values. The purpose of this study is to investigate how subject teachers relate to the democratic fostering mission. This study contributes to the research area by examining how social studies subject teachers manage the complexity of fostering for democracy and how teachers interpret and implement the democratic fostering mission. The study also enhances understanding of the relationship between fostering for democracy and respecting democratic principles.
The main conclusions of this study are that the way teachers approach the fostering mission can vary depending on how the curriculum is interpreted and how they align with the purpose of the mission. This, in turn, will affect how the fostering mission is realized in teaching, primarily through dialogue and participation. The results also indicate that boundary-setting in teaching becomes crucial in understanding how teachers foster for democracy. It is through boundary-setting in teaching that teacher’s objective position is challenged, aiming to uphold the democratic values outlined in the educational document. Consequently, the democratic upbringing mission may sometimes appear to be incompatible with the fundamental democratic principles of society.