Inviting politics in: When and how school party visits matter for democratic learning

Highlights: - Political party visits prompt students to interpret and evaluate their openness to politics. - Students’ experiences are shaped by classroom climate, group dynamics, and personal relevance. - Authentic dialogue and balanced representation increase students’ trust in politics. - Poorly structured visits may reinforce cynicism and political disengagement. Purpose: This article examines how upper secondary students in Sweden experience political party visits to school, and how these encounters can be understood in relation to democratic learning. Design/methodology/approach: Based on seven focus group interviews across three schools with varying exposure to party visits, the study adopts an inductive thematic analysis to explore how students experience and make sense of these encounters. Findings: Students experienced the visits as social encounters rather than lessons, assessing politics as a practice. Engagement was shaped by relational dynamics and visit design, with well-prepared and balanced encounters fostering credibility and interest, while poorly planned visits had the opposite effect. Research limitations/implications: Due to a relatively small sample, caution is warranted when generalising the findings. Future studies should examine broader contexts and use complementary methods. Practical implications: Schools should ensure equitable access, prepare students, and create respectful settings to maximise the educational value of party visits