Sweden has a long tradition of recognizing children’s rights to participation and influence in education. The concept of student influence is often linked to democracy in policy documents, and it was already on the national agenda when the 1946 school commission demanded education for democracy in the following terms: ‘However, the students’ aspirations for greater influence and responsibility should receive wholehearted support from the school authorities. It should be clear that an increased co-responsibility for the students favours their growth in a democratic society’ (SOU 1948:27, p. 145. Own translation).
In this study, we assume that legal norms are not only applied within their formal and written frameworks but are also influenced by several other factors that are crucial to how these norms are implemented in practice (Hydén, 2002; Mathiesen, 2005). In this context, it means that even though the law provides good opportunities for student participation, there are several challenges to translating the law into practice. Thus, it is necessary to go beyond the law and political intentions to understand children’s participation in practice. To identify any gaps or inconsistencies in the understanding and practical application of children’s rights to participation and influence, we adopt a critical child rights approach as our starting point (e.g. Desmet et al., 2015; Reynaert et al., 2012).Footnote1 This involves identifying and understanding factors beyond the law, such as power-related influences that affect participation, and taking a more critical view of children’s rights (e.g. Desmet et al., 2015; Reynaert & Roose, 2015; Reynaert et al., 2012; Vandenhole et al., 2015). In this study, that means focusing on understanding different actors’ interpretations of the concept of participation to assess whether children’s voices and input shape decisions and lead to changes on issues that directly impact them in the school environment. Additionally, the analysis considers the impact of education policies that regulate student participation in school decision-making processes.
The study examines how the concept of participation is perceived and understood within one school’s context. The variations in interpretations between different groups, such as teachers, students, and principals will be particularly highlighted. By analysing how each group views and applies the notion of participation, we aim to gain a deeper insight into the implementation and use of the concept in schools. Furthermore, we will see how different perceptions of participation correspond to central laws that apply to schools in order to understand whether they support or contradict how influence and participation are applied in schools. The following questions guide the work:
- How do professionals and students perceive and understand influence and participation in a school?
- How do these perspectives and practices relate to the Curriculum and the Education Act?
- Based on the results of the previous questions, how are children’s opportunities for participation affected?
To explore various forms of participation, the study uses Shier’s Participation Model (Shier, 2001) as its theoretical framework.
Springer, 2026. s. 145-158