Samma demokrati – olika innehåll? : En komparativ läromedelsanalys av demokratiaspekter i svenska och norska samhällskunskapsböcker

Sammanfattning

The thesis examines the extent to which, and how, democracy is addressed in Swedish and Norwegian upper secondary school studies textbooks. Based on Robert A. Dahl’s five criteria of the democratic process, the study analyses seven textbooks adapted to the current curricula: Gy25 in Sweden and LK20 in Norway. The method is a comparative content analysis with both qualitative and quantitative elements.The results show that the Swedish textbooks devote more space to democratic content, averaging 32,6% of their total scope, compared with 22,2% in the Norwegian textbooks. Qualitatively, both countries’ textbooks share a foundation in liberal representative democracy but differ in presentation. The Swedish textbooks are generally more explanatory and interpretively directive, while the Norwegian textbooks are more concise and more open to reflection. In relation to Dahl’s criteria, effective participation, enlightened understanding and inclusiveness are most prominent in both countries’ materials, whereas voting equality and control of the agenda are treated more technically. Overall, the study shows that similar democratic systems can still produce differences in how democratic content is conveyed.