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Equity, multilingualism and segregation in the Swedish educational system
Dalarna University, School of Culture and Society, Educational Work.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0973-592x
Dalarna University, School of Language, Literatures and Learning, Swedish.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-7745-8034
Dalarna University, School of Language, Literatures and Learning, Swedish as Second Language.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-2992-0818
2026 (English)In: Journal of Multicultural Discourses, ISSN 1744-7143, E-ISSN 1747-6615, Vol. 26, no 1, p. 26-43Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Sustainable development
SDG 10: Reduced inequalities
Abstract [en]

This article aims to explore current official discourses on equity, multilingualism and segregation in policy documents for Swedish preschool. Earlier research shows how issues of quality in preschool are linked to equity, segregation and multilingualism. The policy documents are analysed through critical policy analysis, using Bacchi’s What’s the problem represented to be? (WPR), which shows that problem representations may favour some yet disadvantage others. Preschool has the potential to contribute to social equity and to counteract segregation; however, in these policy documents, the official discourses on equity, multilingualism and segregation are conflicting and ambiguous, and thereby strengthen the monolingual norm previously found in preschool. In the documents, links between outcome and quality aspects in preschool are not considered, and immigrant background is positioned as the root problem. Using equity as the same for everyone and posing the problem as the Other may result in increased segregation. We conclude that policies that present immigrant background as a problem and that are based on monolinguistic norms have assimilationist implications and may hide xenophobic views. The state needs to take its responsibility for quality issues in preschool instead of making immigrant children and their parents their scapegoats.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2026. Vol. 26, no 1, p. 26-43
Keywords [en]
Equity, multilingualism, segregation, preschool, official discourses, WPR
National Category
Educational Sciences
Research subject
Forskargrupp/Seminariegrupp, Language, Literature and Education from a Diversity Perspective (SLUM)
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:du-53316DOI: 10.1080/17447143.2026.2656632ISI: 001737110600001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105035411672OAI: oai:DiVA.org:du-53316DiVA, id: diva2:2052195
Available from: 2026-04-10 Created: 2026-04-10 Last updated: 2026-05-12Bibliographically approved

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Warström, JennieNordmark, MarieWedin, Åsa

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CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

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Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • chicago-author-date
  • chicago-note-bibliography
  • Other style
More styles
Language
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  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
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  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf