Uppfattningar om elevinflytande utifrån makt- och demokratiperspektiv

Sammanfattning: In the curriculum for the Swedish compulsory school, Lgr11, student influence have been given a high priority. Yet, Lgr11 is ambiguous in its discussion about how student influence should be practiced in reality. Students are therefore subjects to each school’s particular interpretation of what student influence is and how it should be implemented. Given the discrepancy, the aim of the study is to investigate students’ and principals’ understanding of student influence in a Swedish school. To analyze student influence in relation to knowledge and power we use Michel Foucault’s conceptions of power and Iris Marion Young’s work on democracy and inclusion. Our empirical data has been collected through a semi-structured interview with a principal and focus groups with five students. We find that the responsibility for implementing student influence is delegated to the teachers, even though the principals have primary responsibility according to the law. The students do not think that all students are capable of making good decisions, even if they were given more influence. In light of our findings we draw two main conclusions. First, from a democracy perspective, students’ perception of other students’ abilities, as well as their own interest and knowledge, can affect on the influence in schools. Further from a power-perspective, surveillance and knowledge could also have an affect on student influence. This study is significant to further developing our understanding of how students’ influence is affected by power and democracy factors since the curriculum offers an ambiguous discussion on student influence.