Specialpedagogik i Fritidshemmet: Från samlat forskningsläge till pedagogisk praktik

Abstract in English

This thesis aims to contribute to research and practice with knowledge aboutspecial education in the activities of School-age Educare. Questions that seekanswers are how special education can be expressed in the activities of theSchool-age Educare and how Special education can be a resource at the SchoolageEducare and supplement the School-age Educare´s pedagogy. According tothe Education Act, students’ need for special educational support also includesSchool-age Educare. This thesis consists of four articles. Bronfenbrenner’ssystem theory is used as a tool to synthesize the results. The first article is asystematic literature review. The results show that in an internationalcomparison, the Swedish School-age Educare’s clear connection to sharedgoverning documents with the school appears unique. The second article is asurvey where the results show that students in need of special educationalsupport are highlighted from a school perspective and that teachers in SchoolageEducare and special educators collaborate primarily with a focus onstudents’ school situation. The third article highlights how teachers in SchoolageEducare work to promote social inclusion. The results show that teacherssupport students actively participating in their activities. Still, most of the timein the schoolyard, students play without active support from adults, which canrisk students being socially excluded. In the final study, lesson study is used asa model. The results show that teachers in both School-age Educare andcompulsory schools see the potential in the model for developing teaching forall students. The overall results show that teachers in School-age educare needto direct a critical special educational eye toward activities where the students’needs for support are identified. However, the problem should not be placed onthe individual student. Instead, the teachers in School-age Educare shouldknow how School-age Educare promotes and supports all students learning anddevelopment. Based on Bronfenbrenner’s theoretical model, the individualbecomes visible and is given support based on their needs in the microsystem.There is support in the mesosystem through teachers’ conscious choice ofteaching activities. Teachers in School-age Educare and compulsory schoolscollaborate within the exosystem. Discussing and expressing the school’s valuesin all the school organizations in the macro system is necessary.