Research topic/aim

This study investigated student participation in Swedish reading classes in special school for students diagnosed with ID. This was part of a project where the students participated in the development of a computer game for reading, in order to make reading more interesting and fun for students with reading capabilities not age appropriate.

Theoretical framework

The Swedish Participation model (Szönyi, 2020), originating from a sociocultural perspective, was used in order to observe and analyse participation in class. The participation model used is promoted to schools and teachers, by three Swedish government agencies (The Swedish Schools Inspectorate, 2018; Szönyi, 2020), with the intention to support participation or even to support inclusive education.


Methodology/research design

This micro-ethnographic (Fusch et al., 2017) case study (Yin, 2018) includes six observations in class and one questionnaire. There were also two observations performed, during class when working with the development of the game application followed by one focus group discussion (Krueger & Casey) with their teachers.

Expected results/findings

When students participated in developing the reading game (application), the power positions were changed and students started to interact with each other and not just to and through teachers and assistants.

Earlier studies (Webster & de Boer, 2021; Östlund, 2012) support the result that students’ interaction tends to go to or through teachers or assistants, as for these students in their reading classes. When working in class students did not interact directly to other students, but when developing the computer game and when they tried it out; students started to interact to other students instead.

Relevance to Nordic educational research

Participation is a human right and to be able to read is an important part of accessing the society. The results of the study give important information of students access to participation in special school’s reading class. But, also segregated settings are of importance to mainstream education (Göransson et al., 2020), since students diagnosed with ID, in Sweden, have the right to make a choice between special school or mainstream school, following special school’s syllabi.