What does this research mean for the field?

School professionals' collective habits constrain student participation in school improvement by enforcing a weak conception of democracy where changes are done to students rather than with them. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To examine the institutional conditions and collective professional habits that constrain or enable student participation in school improvement initiatives through a democratic lens.

August 30, 2026Journal of Educational ChangeOpen Access

Democracy at work? Rethinking student participation in school improvement

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To examine the institutional conditions and collective professional habits that constrain or enable student participation in school improvement initiatives through a democratic lens.
Empirical qualitative investigation conducted across compulsory, upper secondary, and adult education institutions in two Swedish municipalities attempting to institutionalize student participation.
Grounded in a pragmatist theoretical framework analyzing collective habits of principals, middle leaders, and teachers alongside models of weak versus strong democracy.
Identified six habitual professional practices that constrain genuine co-inquiry: initiating, organising, acquiring propositional knowledge, transferring, interest alignment, and predetermining agendas.
Revealed that existing institutional routines position students primarily as passive informants rather than active co-inquirers, exemplifying a weak conception of democracy where reform is done to students.
Argued that achieving strong democratic participation requires implementing democratic leadership, restructuring collaborative inquiry practices, and balancing broad educational aims.

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Implication

Qualitative study reveals restrictive professional habits limiting student participation across municipal schools, indicating a need for collaborative leadership and strong democratic models.

Cite This Study

Andersson et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a93f0476c1a8fb52e79c4ff https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-026-09569-0

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Implication

Qualitative study reveals restrictive professional habits limiting student participation across municipal schools, indicating a need for collaborative leadership and strong democratic models.

Democracy at work? Rethinking student participation in school improvement

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Democracy at work? Rethinking student participation in school improvement

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

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