Högskolan Dalarnas logga och länk till högskolans webbplats

This qualitative study examines, by analyzing 30 transcribed interviews, participation in Elementary school from a student perspective, and in teaching characterized by Cooperative Learning. Student participation is a goal in the Swedish curriculum and is seen as essential for fulfilling learning outcomes, and research shows that students’ participation is limited and strictly controlled by the teachers. The study concerns itself with three dimensions of participation: the social dimension, the political and the epistemological dimension.

The analysis highlights different aspects of participation which are all important to the students. The aspects of social participation concern safety, respect, and responsibility within the social community. Continuity within the cooperating groups seems to be a prerequisite for these aspects, as they are all built up over time. The political aspects of participation that emerge from analyzing the interviews revolve around questions of influence in the form of co-determination, self-determination, and leadership. Although these aspects all seem to be of importance to the students, they are not specifically prioritized in Cooperative Learning within the studied schools. Epistemological participation is made visible in the analysis of the data through the descriptions of students’ willingness to learn, and curiosity about the new and previously unknown. The students’ statements are characterized by a desire to experience meaning in their schoolwork, by among other things understanding the benefits and future use of the knowledge they are supposed to develop. When the groups are exposed to stressful situations, like when their work is to be assessed, it appears to hinder epistemological aspects of participation.

The results show that there are opportunities for all three dimensions of participation to occur within cooperative learning, but there are also challenges. The students’ pursuit of efficiency in work, constitutes an obstacle to their ability to participate, which should have otherwise been made possible by Cooperative Learning. Students also need to have the opportunity to express their opinions about the teaching in their classroom, as well as to be able to have an impact on their future lesson plans. This includes allowing students to take part in conversations about the purpose of school, both in the long term, and in relation to current projects. Since education is multidimensional, it is important to work for a greater representativity for all societal groups, and especially for those who the education concerns, the students, as a way to make the discussion more multidimensional. This, in turn, can contribute to making students’ social, political, and epistemological participation possible at a larger extent than what is seen in today’s schools.