Skolornas institutionella karaktär och elevernas medborgarkompetens: en jämförelse av olika kommunala och fristående skolor över tid och rum

Abstract

Institutional Settings and Civic Education: A Comparative Study of Different Types of Public and Private Schools

Since the 1990s, the Swedish school system has become increasingly more diversified. Decentralization, the introduction of private schools, the challenge of globalization and increased ethnic diversity among pupils have contributed to an increasing heterogeneity.

This project analyses the prospects for civic education in different institutional settings and contexts, in both public and private schools. Using unique survey data 1999 and 2009 we ask which effects different institutional settings have on ”citizen competences”, i.e. civic engagement, political efficacy, knowledge about democracy and political issues, and democratic values and tolerance.

The project breaks down into three distinct but interrelated parts. The first deals with changes over time in young Swedes´ civic competences. The second subproject focuses on the way and consequences when controversial issues are taught in different schools and institutional settings. The third sub-project adds a comparative perspective by analyzing similarities and differences among young people and schools in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and England.