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Demokratiuppdraget är något av en paradgren för den svenska skolan. I den internationella kunskapsmätningen ICCS (International Civic and Citizenship Education Study) presterar svenska elever i topp. För att behålla den positionen gäller det att lärare ges rätt förutsättningar för att utveckla det goda arbete som de gör dagligen under och mellan lektionerna. En sådan förutsättning är att lärare har tillgång till forskning inom området och vad den säger om lärande och demokrati. Det är ett tämligen spretigt forskningsfält med många tangerande begrepp och perspektiv som inte enkelt låter sig överblickas. Vi bedömer utifrån vår behovs inventering att lärare efterfrågar mer samlad kunskap om forskningsfältet. Mot denna bakgrund känns det angeläget att denna systematiska forskningsöversikt, Att lära demokrati – lärares arbetssätt i fokus, adresserar detta område. Översikten riktar sig till lärare i alla ämnen inom grundskola, gymnasieskola och vuxenutbildning men framför allt till lärare som undervisar i samhällsorienterande ämnen inom grund och gymnasieskola. Genom att arbeta på vetenskaplig grund kan lärare utveckla och kalibrera undervisningen för att möta de utmaningar som uppstår i klassrummet och demokratin varje dag. Demokrati kommer alltid att vara ett pågående arbete. Det krävs många olika personer och typer av kompetenser för att producera en syste matisk översikt. Projektgruppen med flera interna medarbetare har letts av forskaren Pontus Wallin. I den har även två externa forskare ingått, Maria Olson och Mikael Persson. De har deltagit i arbetet från ax till limpa: urval av studier, granskning, analys och syntesarbete samt författande. Utöver dessa personer vill jag tacka forskarna Erik Amnå och Silvia Edling för granskning och värdefulla synpunkter på en tidigare version av översikten. De forskare som vi anlitar för olika uppgifter säkerställer en hög vetenskaplig nivå på våra översikter. Men för att översikterna ska komma till användning i undervisning måste de också vara skrivna på sådant sätt att de verksamma har behållning av dem. Därför vill jag tacka lärarna Charlotta Granath och Anneli Mickelsson som läst ett utkast till översikten och gett kloka synpunkter ur främst ett sådant mottagarperspektiv. The aim of the Swedish education system is to ensure that all students acquire and develop both knowledge and values. According to Swedish law, the education system must convey respect for human rights and democratic values. The purpose of this systematic review is to give teachers an overview of the research about how students learn democracy. The question that the review seeks to answer is: What teaching practices promote democracy learning? Democracy learning is defined as learning knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values relating to democracy. Teaching practicesThe review includes studies of teaching with the explicit purpose of promoting democracy learning. Half the studies included in the review are intervention studies that investigate the causal relationship between specific teaching methods and democracy learning. The other half are correlation studies that investigate how the learning environment influences how students learn democracy. The intervention studies primarily highlight teaching practices that focus on discussions and group work, as well as simulations such as role play and student participation in decision-making processes. Some studies also emphasise the importance of using news media and texts about politics in the classroom, as well as interacting with the surrounding community. The correlation studies primarily highlight teaching approaches that promote an open classroom environment, which facilitates discussions and encourages students to participate actively in class activities. Some studies emphasise the importance of teacher engagement and leadership. Democracy learningThe results of the review show that encouraging students to participate actively in teaching also promotes democracy learning in terms of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values. Active participation helps students gain a shared sense of responsibility and gives them opportunities to experience and practice democratic principles and values.School plays an important role, but should be put in relation to other factors that influence democracy learning. One important conclusion, drawn by multiple researchers, is that teaching practices influence democracy learning but that different teaching methods can benefit different aspects of democracy learning for different students. Knowledge and skillsThe overall picture provided by the research included in this review shows a positive correlation between an open classroom environment and students’ knowledge of democracy. Moreover, an open classroom environment seems to be an important component in strengthening students’ ability to test out their own opinions in discussions with others. Participating in decision-making processes at school can improve the students’ capacity for democratic participation. Using news media in teaching encourages students to discuss societal issues and can especially benefit students who do not have access to newspapers at home. Informative texts can contribute factual knowledge that students use to form arguments during discussions. Taking responsibility for cooperation and the tone of discussions in small groups can boost student understanding of democratic concepts and principles, with social classroom activities being particularly important for students in younger age groups. Attitudes and valuesSchool can affect students’ attitudes to participation and political behaviour later in life. An open classroom environment, and inclusive and mutually respectful relationships between teachers and students promote higher future participation in elections and other democratic processes. Cooperation exercises in the form of groupwork also promote a higher participation rate in elections as adults. For upper-secondary school students, there is a link between an open classroom environment and democratic values. Involving students in simulations allows them to develop a nuanced image of the opportunities and challenges associated with democracy. Teachers can promote all students’ willingness to participate in democracy by being aware of minority perspectives in class and highlighting critical perspectives. Group discussions and the use of news media can increase students’ confidence in their own capacity to participate in democracy and promote positive attitudes towards future political participation. Visiting external exhibitions and other ways of interacting with the surrounding community can strengthen students’ support for political equality and contribute to equity in education by giving students of all backgrounds access to such opportunities for learning. A multifaceted missionWe chose to include research about different aspects of democracy learning. However, we have been careful to ensure that the studies included in the review clearly and unambiguously relate to the concept of democracy, so several closely related areas were not included. The review does not include research about how to prevent violence, bullying and extremism, or about how to promote attendance, motivation and health. Nor does the review cover research about the students’ development of prosocial behaviour. We have also excluded research with a specific focus on education about human rights and anti-racism, anti-extremism, equality, LGTBQ+, sustainable development and global and social justice. Research about ethics and morality and how students relate to concepts such as love, tolerance, justice and freedom has also been excluded. Finally, research about critical thinking and source criticism has been excluded, as has research about civics and citizenship education that is not specifically related to democracy. Selection of researchThis systematic overview is based on 32 studies conducted in eleven countries. The studies evaluate teaching that aims to promote democracy learning in various subjects from primary school to adult education. However, most of the research included is focused on teaching in social studies in primary school and high school.The review includes empirical studies where democracy learning is evaluated by comparisons between students or over time. All the included studies have been published in peer-reviewed sources. Skolforskningsinstitutets systematiska forskningssammanställningar 2022:03ProjektgruppPontus Wallin, Fil dr, projektledareIlana Manneh, Fil dr, biträdande projektledareLisa Jonsson, informationsspecialistCatarina Melin, projektassistentMaria Olson, Fil dr, professor i ämnesdidaktik, Stockholms universitet, och gästprofessor i pedagogiskt arbete, Högskolan DalarnaMikael Persson, Fil dr, professor i statsvetenskap, Göteborgs universitetThe Swedish Institute for Educational Research 2022:03Project groupExternal researchers-Maria Olson, PhD, professor of Subject Didactics, Stockholm University and guest professor of Pedagogy at Dalarna University-Mikael Persson, PhD, professor of Political Science, University of GothenburgFrom the Institute for Educational Research-Pontus Wallin, PhD, project manager-Ilana Manneh, PhD, assistant project manager-Lisa Jonsson, information specialist-Catarina Melin, project assistant |
