Skolans demokratiska fostran: En kvalitativ studie om 1-3 lärares tolkning och omsättning av skolans demokratiuppdrag : The School’s Democratic Education:A Qualitative Study of 1–3 Teachers’ Interpretations and Implementation ofthe School’s Democratic Mission

Sammanfattning

The purpose of this study is to examine how teachers in grades 1–3 interpret and implement the school’s democratic mission in teaching, particularly within social studies education. The study is based on qualitative semi-structured interviews with five primary school teachers. The results show that teachers perceive the democratic mission as a broadly formulated assignment that leaves room for interpretation. Democracy is mainly described as a lived practice shaped through everyday classroom interactions, such as participation, dialogue, conflict resolution, and student influence, rather than solely as theoretical knowledge of democracy and political systems. The findings also indicate that teachers experience challenges related to resources, time constraints, and balancing the school’s dual mission of knowledge development and democratic education. The study further shows that the implementation of the democratic mission is largely shaped by teachers’ professional judgments, interpretations of the curriculum, and everyday pedagogical choices. Drawing on John Dewey pragmatism and Michael Lipsky theory of street-level bureaucracy, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how democratic education is interpreted, negotiated, and practiced in the early years of schooling.