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In Sweden, an underexplored educational practice involves pupils being placed outside the classroom to receive individual instruction while remaining formally enrolled in a regular class. Although widely used, this form of provision has received limited research attention. Drawing on a care-ethical perspective, this study examines how 16 upper primary schoolteachers and special educators describe and reason about such arrangements. The analysis focuses on how the purpose of the instruction is understood and how its implications for pupils' relationships with classmates and teachers are articulated. The findings indicate a contrast between short-term, knowledge-oriented forms of instruction and more prolonged forms of separation motivated by social concerns. While the former were generally described as purposeful and limited in scope, the latter were associated with ambivalence and ethical unease. Across participants' accounts, decisions to remove pupils from the classroom were often shaped by efforts to avoid situations perceived as socially difficult. The findings suggest that individual instruction outside the classroom may function not only as a pedagogical support measure but also as a relational risk-management strategy. While often framed as care, prolonged separation may reproduce social vulnerability by protecting pupils from participation itself.

Drawing on desert theory, the article develops a conceptual typology designed to analyse the structure of arguments that appear in debates on organisational differentiation in schools. The typology consists of four ideal-typical categories: 1) knowledge-based arguments, 2) resource-based arguments, 3) identity-based arguments, and 4) desert-based arguments. These categories are intended to illuminate the different normative and empirical assumptions that underpin positions for and against organisational differentiation in schools, such as special teaching groups. The Swedish discussion on inclusion and segregated provision is used as an illustration to demonstrate how the framework can clarify the relationship between factual claims and value-laden judgements. A central argument of the article is that desert considerations appear largely irrelevant when educational decisions concern an individual pupil in isolation but gain significance once that pupil’s situation is compared to the interests of classmates. In such comparative contexts, weak retributivist reasoning may influence judgments about what different pupils are taken to deserve. The article concludes by problematising the appeal to moral desert in educational decision-making concerning children and by outlining how the conceptual framework can support transparent philosophical scrutiny of debates on organisational differentiation.

Swedish special education is currently shifting towards increased organisational differentiation, as reflected in political proposals to expand the use of special teaching groups. This article examines this shift through Nancy Fraser’s redistribution–recognition dilemma. It argues that contemporary developments are best understood against the background of earlier shifts in the Swedish inclusion discourse, in which responses to educational disadvantage have repeatedly relied on affirmative strategies. Whereas earlier reforms sought to reduce stigma by integrating pupils into mainstream classrooms, current debates increasingly justify differentiated provision through a redistributive logic centred on targeted support and resource allocation. Drawing on Fraser’s distinction between affirmative and transformative remedies, the article shows how both historical and contemporary responses address inequality without transforming the organisational and normative conditions that produce it. Rather than representing fundamentally different approaches to inclusion, these responses can be understood as variations of a shared affirmative logic, reflecting the tensions between redistribution and recognition in current debates on special education. This, in turn, opens up questions about what a more transformative approach to educational justice might require.

This article introduces the concept of anticipatory completion, understood as the prospective imagination of whether care will be recognised and received. Completion thus functions not only as a retrospective marker of successful care but also as a prospective influence on how care is directed and enacted. To ground this conceptual development in lived experience, the article draws on interviews with Swedish special educators who navigate their dual responsibilities towards pupils and teachers within relational and institutional networks of care. While relationships with pupils are described as emotionally meaningful and straightforward, relationships with teachers are often experienced as uncertain and marked by relational risk. This tension shapes how support is distributed between pupils and teachers and illustrates how caring relationships in schools are co-constructed through relational asymmetries and institutional conditions. The article thereby contributes a more dynamic and network-oriented understanding of care within educational settings.

This article redefines the role of abstraction in care ethics, overturning the notion that abstraction is inherently an impersonal and distancing mechanism. By situating abstraction within the context of caring relationships it reveals how abstraction can cultivate human connection when grounded in moral motivation and contextual sensitivity. The article’s primary contribution is the introduction of two concepts: conceptual abstraction, which captures the shift from detailed specificity to broader generalizations, and contextual abstraction, which examines how abstraction either fosters closeness or creates distance in relationships. While the discussion initially focuses on the level of deliberation, the article concludes by exploring if and how abstraction can also be meaningfully employed at the level of justification.

From a care ethics perspective, this thesis aims to discuss and conceptualise children’s experiences of care in Swedish compulsory school. I initiate an ethical discussion focusing on the theoretical core of care ethics and exploring how the framework can be used and developed within the aforementioned educational context. The thesis consists of two empirical and two theoretical articles. In the empirical articles, a qualitative approach is employed to interview sixth-grade children about their experiences giving and receiving care within peer relationships in school. The theoretical articles explore the conditions of values education in Swedish schools and the application of the care ethics framework in the context of new moral psychological research. Article I, “Dissonance between liberal and conservative function: an analysis of values education in Swedish schools”, underscores the significance of contextualisation in analyses of values education, emphasising the intricate interplay between societal values and those imparted within educational contexts. It critically evaluates existing theoretical frameworks and approaches, highlighting the need to disentangle values from function and navigate dissonance within diverse value systems. In article II, “Caring narratives from Swedish compulsory school”, a care ethics perspective is employed to analyse caring narratives from pupils in sixth grade, revealing the dynamic roles of caregivers and recipients of care in shaping a reactive care narrative. Partiality’s pivotal role in care dynamics is explored in article III, “The partial care”, stressing its impact on peer relationships in school environments. Article IV, “What can Moral Psychology Contribute to the Understanding of an Ethics of Care?”, delves into recent developments in moral psychology, challenging the care ethics understanding of moral reasoning by acknowledging the connection between rapid emotional responses and deliberate rational thinking. It connects these psychological insights with the ethics of care, exploring the relationship between intuitive acts of natural care and deliberate choices of ethical care in a moral pedagogical context. In synthesising these themes, my thesis contributes to a relational understanding of values education and situates the ethics of care framework within the realm of education. It offers a novel perspective on the interrelationships between values education, critical Religious Education, and the feminist framework of care ethics, enriching the discourse within these subdisciplines.

This article underscores the importance of contextualization when analysing values education. The interplay between societal values and those imparted within an educational context significantly affect the interpretation and comprehension of values education. To address this concern, I strategically position sociologist Tiffany Mary Jones framework, ‘The Four Orientations Framework,’ within Swedish context. The critical examination of Jones’ framework and subsequent applications, reveals that these approaches do not fully capture the complex relationship between societal values and values education. Thereafter, three constructive conclusions emerge in response to this initial critique. Firstly, an argument arises for untangling values from function during the analysis of values education. Second, the function of values education is determined by the relation between societal values and the values conveyed within education. Lastly, I emphasize the importance of recognizing and navigating dissonance within and between different value systems.

Mimmi Norgren Hansson explores the essential aspects of respect and empathy within the context of research involving children. While empathy in interviews commonly revolves around recognizing and understanding participants’emotions and experiences, this chapter seeks to broaden the scope by highlighting the significance of respecting and appreciating children’s analytical abilities and statements. Drawing inspiration from a memorable encounter with twelve years old Chloe, the author incorporates her analysis of care as a preface to the argument. 

The aim of this article is to enrich the care ethics framework by uncovering the relationship between care and loyalty, offering insights into the complexities of children’s experiences of care in school. Through twelve interviews with pupils in sixth grade, I analyse the intersection of loyalty and care. The findings reveal two dimensions, conceptualized as internal care loyalty and external care loyalty. Internal care loyalty involves the relationship between the one-caring and the cared-for, shaping the (1) motivation, (2) understanding, and (3) reciprocity of care. External care loyalty extends beyond this relationship, encompassing (1) social inclusion and (2) conflict support. Employing a perspective grounded in care ethics, deepens the understanding of the interconnection between care and loyalty among peers and actualize the question of partiality in an educational context. This article blends feminist philosophical theory with qualitative empiricism, shedding light on the complexity and nuances of caring in peer-relations.

This article delves into the dynamics of care within peer relationships, examining how care is expressed between the caregiver and the recipient of care, as well as their broader connections with others. Based on qualitative interviews with twelve pupils, this study investigates the experience of giving and receiving care, particularly in relation to partial friendships. The results uncover two key dimensions of care: internal care, which influences the motivation, understanding, reciprocity and continuity of care within the caregiver-recipient relationship, and external care, which extends beyond this relationship to encompass aspects such as social inclusion and support during conflicts. This research underscores the pivotal role of partiality in shaping the dynamics of care and raises questions about its implications within an educational environment. Furthermore, it contributes to the framework of care ethics, stimulating a philosophical discourse on the moral aspects of partiality in an educational context.