‘We can make a difference’: School leaders’ claims about School-Age Educare in areas with socioeconomic challenges

Marina Wernholm; Helena Ackesjö

doi:10.37291/2717638X.202561512

Authors

Marina Wernholm Linnaeus University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5497-7034
Helena Ackesjö Linnaeus University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9523-6379

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37291/2717638X.202561512

Keywords:

Compensate, Complement, SAEC, Subjectification, Qualification

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore how School-Age Educare Centers (SAEC) adapt to the circumstances and needs of pupils living in areas with socioeconomic challenges, and how SAEC can contribute to promote pupils’ continued learning and knowledge development for further education and for life. The Swedish school-age educare offers education and care for children aged 6-12 years old, before and after school. The following research question guides the study: What claims are made about the SAEC contribution to pupils in terms of subjectification and qualification? Data consist of 13 interviews with school leaders working in schools in vulnerable areas, neighborhoods at risk, and particularly exposed zones identified by the Swedish Police. Qualitative content analysis was applied. The study is theoretically grounded in Biesta’s concepts subjectification and qualification, which are used as aspects of education. This study contributes with nuanced descriptions of how the SAEC mission to compensate and complement is claimed to be put into practice. One conclusion is that school-age educare centers can make a difference in children’s life conditions and prerequisites for succeeding in school. Another conclusion is that school-age educare centers emerge as potential arenas for crime prevention.

References

Ackesjö, H., & Haglund, B. (2021). Fritidspedagogisk undervisning: En fråga om intentionalitet, situationsstyrning och inbäddning. Utbildning & lärande, 15(1), 69-87. DOI: https://doi.org/10.58714/ul.v15i1.11230

Ackesjö, H., & Persson, S. (2021). Forskningsöversikt i betänkandet En tioårig grundskola, SOU 2021:33 [bilaga 3, s. 579-632]. Utbildningsdepartementet.

Ackesjö, H., Lindqvist, P., & Nordänger, U-K. (2020). De första åren i yrket: Nyutexaminerade lärares upplevelser av en ny yrkesroll. In B. Haglund, J. Gustafsson Nyckel, & K. Lager (Eds.), Fritidshemmets pedagogik i en ny tid (pp. 101-117). Gleerups.

Ackesjö, H., Wernholm, M., & Gardesten, J. (2022). Mjuka förmågor-vad är det och vad kan det bidra till?. In H. Ackesjö & B. Haglund (Ed.), Perspektiv på fritidshemmets pedagogiska uppdrag (pp. 57-68). Ifous.

Åkerblom, A., & Harju, A. (2021). The becoming of a Swedish preschool child? Migrant children and everyday nationalism. Children's Geographies, 19(5), 514-525. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2019.1566517

Andersson, B. (2013). Nya fritidspedagoger: i spänningsfältet mellan tradition och nya styrformer [Doctorate thesis]. Umeå University.

Audain, I. (2016). Informal extended education in Scotland. An overview of school age childcare. International Journal for Research on Extended Education, 4(2), 137-142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3224/ijree.v4i2.25786

Biesta, G. (2009). ‘Good education in an age of measurement: On the need to reconnect with the purpose of education’. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 21(1), 22-46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-008-9064-9

Biesta, G. (2017). The rediscovery of teaching. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315617497

Biesta, G. (2018). Creating spaces for learning or making room for education? New parameters for the architecture of education. In H.M. Tse, H. Daniels, A. Stables & S. Cox (Eds.), Designing buildings for the future of schooling: Contemporary visions for education (pp. 27-40). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315148366-3

Biesta, G. (2022). World-centered education. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003098331

Boverket. (2023, August 27). Boendesegregationen i Sverige. https://www.boverket.se/sv/samhallsplanering/boendesegregation/sverige/

Bryman, A. (2016). Social Research Methods (4th edition). Oxford University Press.

Bunar, N., & Ambrose, A. (2016). Schools, choice and reputation: Local school markets and the distribution of symbolic capital in segregated cities. Research in Comparative and International Education, 11(1), 34-51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1745499916631064

Delegationen mot segregation. (2021). Segregation i Sverige: Årsrapport 2021 om den socioekonomiska boendesegregationens utveckling. Delegationen mot segregation.

Farrell, A.F., Collier-Meek, M.A., & Furman, M.J. (2019). Supporting out-of-school time staff in low resource communities: A professional development approach. American Journal of Community Psychology, 63(3-4), 378-390. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12330

Galante, A., & dela Cruz, J. W. N. (2024). Plurilingual and pluricultural as the new normal: An examination of language use and identity in the multilingual city of Montreal. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 45(4), 868-883. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2021.1931244

Guilmette, M., Mulvihill, K., Villemaire-Krajden, R., & Barker, E.T. (2019). Past and present participation in extracurricular activities is associated with adaptive self-regulation of goals, academic success, and emotional wellbeing among university students. Learning and Individual Differences, 73, 8-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2019.04.006

Gustafsson Nyckel, J. (2020). Vägen mot det undervisande fritidshemmet. In B. Haglund, J. Gustafsson Nyckel & K. Lager (Eds.), Fritidshemmets pedagogik i en ny tid (pp. 56-77). Gleerups.

Haglund, B. (2015). Everyday practice at the Sunflower: The staff’s representations and governing strategies as contributions to the order of discourse. Education Inquiry, 6(2), 209-229. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3402/edui.v6.25957

Håkansson, J., & Sundberg, D. (2016). Utmärkt skolutveckling: Forskning om skolförbättring och måluppfyllelse. Natur & Kultur.

Halpern, R. (2000). The promise of after-school programs for low-income children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 15(2), 185-214. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0885-2006(00)00056-9

Heckman, J.J. (2000). Invest in the very young. Ounce of Prevention Fund and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.

Heckman, J.J., & Kautz, T. (2013). Fostering and measuring skills: Interventions that improve character and cognition. The National Bureau of Economic Research. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3386/w19656

Hippanen Ahlgren, A. (2021). Lärare i fritidshems undervisningskunskap: undervisningshandlingar i interaktion mellan lärare och barn [Doctorate thesis]. Stockholm University.

Holmberg, L. (2018). Konsten att producera lärande demokrater [Doctorate thesis]. Stockholm University.

Horgan, D., Martin, S., O´Riordan, J., & Maier, R. (2022). Supporting Languages: The socio-educational integration of migrant and refugee children and young people. Children & Society, 36(3), 369-385. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12525

Johansson, I. (1984). Fritidspedagog på fritidshem. En yrkesgrupps syn på sitt arbete [Doctorae thesis]. Göteborgs University.

Koyuncu, S., Kumpulainen, K., & Kuusisto, A. (2023). Scaffolding children’s participation during teacher-child interaction in second language classrooms. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 68(4), 750-764. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2023.2183430

Kuchartz, U., & Rädiker, S. (2023). Qualitative content analysis (2nd Ed). Sage. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003213277-57

Lager, K. (2018). Att undervisa i fritidshem: omsorg, lärande och utveckling i en helhet. Educare, (2), 51-68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24834/educare.2018.2.3

Lazzari, A., Balduzzi, L., Van Laere, K., Bodury, C., Rezek, M., & Prodgeret, A. (2020). Sustaining warm and inclusive transistions across the early years: Insights from the START Project. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 28(1), 43-57. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2020.1707361

Levin, B. (2013). The utility and need for incorporating noncognitive skills into large-scale educational assessments. In M. von Davier (Eds.), The role of international large-scale assessments: perspectives from technology, economy, and education research (pp. 67-86). Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4629-9_5

Lincoln, Y., & Guba, E.G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0147-1767(85)90062-8

Lindbäck, J. (2021). Värsta bästa skolan [Doctorate thesis]. Gothenburg University.

Little, S. (2020). Whose heritage? What inheritance?: Conceptualising Family Language Identities. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 23(2), 198-212. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2017.1348463

Löthman, C., & Puskás, T. (2024). Pathways to educational integration: affordances and constraints on migrant children's participation in Swedish preschool teaching activities. Early Years. 1-16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2024.2412717

Ludvigsson, A., & Falkner, C. (2019). Fritidshem-ett gränsland i utbildningslandskapet. Nordisk tidskrift for pedagogikk och kritikk, 5, 13-16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.23865/ntpk.v5.1181

Lund, A., & Lund, S. (2016). Skolframgång och mångkulturell inkorprering. In A. Lund & S. Lund (Eds.), Skolframgång i det mångkulturella samhället (pp. 13-35). Studentlitteratur.

Lunneblad, J. (2017). Integration of refugee children and their families in the Swedish preschool: strategies, objectives and standards. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 25(3), 359-369. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2017.1308162

Mavroudi, E., & Holt, L. (2015). (Re)constructing nationalisms in schools in the context of diverse globalized societies. In T. Matesjkova & M. Antonsich (Eds.), Governing through diversity: Migration societis in post-multiculturalist times (pp. 181-200). Palgrave MacMillan. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-43825-6_10

Memiševic, A. (2024). Det undervisande fritidshemmet i lärandets tidevarv [Doctorate thesis]. Linköpings University.

Øksnes, M., Knutas, A., Ludvigsson, A., Falkner, C., & Kjaer, B. (2014). Lekens rolle i skandinaviske skolefritidsordningen. Barn, 32(3), 107-123. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5324/barn.v33i3.3504

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2006). Starting strong II: Early childhood education and care. OECD.

Pálsdottír, K. (2014). The professional identity of recreational personnel. In A.Klerfelt & K. Pálsdottír (Eds.), Barn: Forskning om barn og barndom i Norden (pp.75-89). Norsk senter for barneforskning.

Petersen, P. (2020). Delaktighet och digitala resurser [Doctorate thesis]. Stockholm University.

Plantenga, J., & Remery, C. (2017). Out-of-school childcare: Exploring availability and quality in EU member states. Journal of European Social Policy, 27(1), 25-39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0958928716672174

Polismyndigheten. (2021). Lägesbild över utsatta områden. Regeringsuppdrag 2021. Polismyndigheten, nationella operativa avdelningen. https://www.studocu.com/sv/document/goteborgs-universitet/skatteratt-med-redovisning/lagesbild-over-utsatta-omraden-2021/61787694

Saar, T., Löfdahl, A., & Hjalmarsson, M. (2012). Kunskapsmöjligheter i svenska fritidshem. Nordisk Barnehageforskning, 5(3), 1-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7577/nbf.315

Sandahl, J. (2021). Juvenile crime in context-the significance of school affiliation [Doctorate thesis]. Stockholm University.

Skollag (SFS 2010:800). Utbildningsdepartmentet. https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/skollag-2010800_sfs-2010-800/

Skolverket. (2018). Analyser av familjebakgrundens betydles för skolresultaten och skillnader mellan skolor, rapport 467. Skolverket. https://www.skolverket.se/download/18.6bfaca41169863e6a65d200/1553967875648/pdf3927.pdf

Skolverket. (2022). Läroplan för grundskolan, förskoleklassen och fritidshemmet: Lgr 22. Skolverket. https://www.skolverket.se/undervisning/grundskolan/laroplan-och-kursplaner-for-grundskolan/laroplan-lgr22-for-grundskolan-samt-for-forskoleklassen-och-fritidshemmet

Skolverket. (2023). PISA 2022. Skolverket. https://www.skolverket.se/getFile?file=12177

Slot, P. (2016). Innovating the early years curriculum to prepare children for the 21st centry. Utrecht university.

Suárez-Orozco, C. (2017). The diverse immigrant student experience: what does it mean for teaching?. Educational Studies, 53(5), 522-534. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2017.1355796

Swartz, E. (2009). Diversity: Gatekeeping knowledge and maintaining inequalities. Review of Educational Research, 79(2), 1044-1083. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654309332560

Swedish Government Offical Reports (2020a). En mer likvärdig skola-minskad skolsegregation och förbättrad resurstilldelning.(SOU 2020:28) Stockholm. https://www.regeringen.se/contentassets/fcf0e59defe04870a39239f5bda331f4/en-mer-likvardig-skola--minskad-skolsegregation-och-forbattrad-resurstilldelning-sou-202028/

Swedish Government Official Reports (2020b). Stärkt kvalitet och likvärdighet i fritidshem och pedagogisk omsorg. Betänkande av Utredning om fritidshem och pedagogisk omsorg. (SOU 2020:34). Stockholm. https://www.regeringen.se/contentassets/7302f489bbde433b958beedb7b1bdeff/starkt-kvalitet-och-likvardighet-i-fritidshem-och-pedagogisk-omsorg-sou-202034/

Valizadeh, C. (2023). “Vi som bär här-vi vet!” [Doctorate thesis]. Linnaeus University.

Vetenskapsrådet. (2024). God forskningssed. [Elektronisk resurs], Reviderad utgåva. Vetenskapsrådet.

Wahlgren, P. (2014). De laglydiga. Om skolans brottsförebyggande fostran [Doctorate thesis]. Linnaeus University.

Wernholm, M. (2023). Undervisning i ett fritidshem för alla?. Pedagogisk Forskning i Sverige, 28(4), 64-88. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15626/pfs28.04.03

Wernholm, M., Ackesjö., H., Gardesten, J., & Funck, U. (2024). Mjuka förmågor-ett sätt att begreppsliggöra arbetet med ”det sociala” i fritidshemmet. In S. Lundmark & J. Kontio (Eds.), Fritidsdidaktiska dilemman (pp.63-88). Natur & Kultur.

Wilkinson, R., & Pickett, K. (2018). The inner level: How more equal societies reduce stress, restore sanity and improve everyone’s well-being. Allen Lane.