Earlier research shows an arrest in reading and writing development among 9–12-year-old students with severe speech and physical impairment, SSPI. This article explores what five students with SSPI who have reached beyond beginner’s phase without arrest in their literacy development have experienced as significant for their reading and writing development. The research design was explorative and case based. It contained researcher–participant longitudinal dialogues focusing on the students’ experiences of literacy learning. Computer assisted email interviews were used. A semi-structured interview manual guided each dialogue. With the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems and assistive technology devices, the participants could read and write (with alphabetical print in Swedish) independently. The analysis revealed four themes of great importance for the students’ development of alphabetical print literacy skills: assistive technology use in writing and reading, continuity in long-term pedagogical relationships, mutual persistence in communication, and visions of nearer goals and future work life. The results are discussed in relation to the theoretical frameworks of self-efficacy and the capability approach.

Elever med utländsk bakgrund presterar genomsnittligt lägre i läsförståelse än elever med inhemsk bakgrund. Föreliggande studie ämnar bidra med kunskap om skolors arbete med flerspråkiga elever som möter svårigheter med läsning och skrivning. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur grundskolor i en kommun beskriver hur de arbetar med att förebygga läs- och skrivsvårigheter, identifiera läs- och skrivsvårigheter samt hur de arbetar med stödinsatser för att utveckla elevers läs- och skrivförmåga. En webbenkät skickades till samtliga skolor i en kommun. En litteracitetsmodell, som innefattar olika aspekter av läsning och skrivning med utgångspunkt i ett sociokulturellt perspektiv, användes för att analysera kodknäckande och meningsskapande undervisningspraktiker. Resultaten visar på ett behov av att utveckla skolornas arbete inom två viktiga områden. Det första är att utveckla arbetet med att tillvarata flerspråkiga elevers olika språkliga och sociokulturella resurser samt deras erfarenheter. Det andra är att förbättra samarbetet med modersmålslärare och studiehandledare. Studiens huvudslutsats är att skolor, genom att tillvarata elevers olika språkliga och kulturella resurser, rimligtvis kan förbättra stödet till flerspråkiga elever i deras läs-och skrivutveckling.

Schools’ teaching practices for multilingual pupils experiencing difficulties in their literacy development process

The aim of the present study is to investigate how the elementary schools in one municipality describe how they work to prevent difficulties with literacy development, to identify specific reading and writing difficulties among multilingual pupils and how they work to develop their literacy skills. A questionnaire was sent to all schools in the municipality (response rate, 77 %). A literacy model within a sociocultural theoretical framework was used in the analysis of codebreaking and meaning-making practices. The results show the need for schools to improve their capability in two crucial areas: firstly, to better utilize the students’ different linguistic resources and sociocultural experiences, and secondly to improve the collaboration with mother tongue teachers and study guidance tutors. The main conclusion is that the schools can improve their practices by taking advantage of the students’ linguistic resources to a greater extent, which plausibly can support these students’ literacy development.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate achievement profiles in mathematics when integers are taught in a learning study in grade three (to children 8–9 years old) and to explore to what extent students with such profiles participate in inclusive teaching and learning practices.

Design/methodology/approach: Data from a previous learning study are re-analysed, supported by a framework that enables the investigation of inclusive practices. In the present study, inclusion and achievement are viewed as interrelated, meaning that student achievement must be incorporated in the definition of inclusion. The analysis is based on documentation of a video-recorded lesson and on identical tests conducted before and after the lesson.

Findings: The general framing of the learning study indicates an inclusive practice, while pre- and post-test achievement together with data from the lesson reveal a mixed picture concerning student achievement and inclusion. The analysis of the pre- and post-test results for the 16 students in the class indicates considerable diversity in student achievement, resulting in four achievement profiles. The main conclusion is that some students gained from participating in the learning study lesson while others did not. The extensive analysis of four students' participation, one for each profile, shows that differences in student achievement are related to the extent to which students participate in inclusive teaching and learning practices.

Originality/value: While previous research on learning studies has mainly considered average student achievement, this study focuses on individual variation in achievement and the reasons for it, a matter largely neglected in previous learning study research.

In Sweden, pupil referral units (PRUs) have been recommended by the government, suggesting that “inclusion has gone too far”. This governmental recommendation is not based on research focusing on PRUs, as such research is sparse. Furthermore, there has been a lack of evaluations of the efficacy of PRUs, and no national evaluations of such provision have been undertaken. Furthermore, more attention must be paid to PRU students’ own perspectives and experiences as we lack knowledge of their needs and situation. This study aimed to investigate how educational needs have been and should be addressed in one PRU according to nine stakeholder groups, for example, current students, former students, parents, school staff, and various groups of people who, in their work, were responsible for deciding about the PRU (e.g., chief education officers or politicians) or supporting the PRU (e.g., school healthcare unit staff). Comparative analysis of all groups’ perceptions considered similarities and differences of views of this topic. Preliminary results indicate substantial between-and within-group variation concerning the purpose of the PRU and uncertainty about educational quality, partly due to insufficient documentation. Some students described a “Catch-22”: having been told to catch up educationally with peers and that PRU placement would help in this, they were disappointed, as the emphasis on non-educational practices impeded catching up.

Att gå från att vara ungdom till att bli vuxen kan innebära en rad förändringar, som att flytta hemifrån, börja studera eller arbeta, skapa nya relationer och kanske träffa en partner. Men det handlar också om att möta högre krav på att fatta egna beslut och ta ansvar för beslutens konsekvenser. Med andra ord: att etablera sig som vuxen innebär såväl möjligheter som utmaningar för unga människor. Detta gäller givetvis också för unga som lever med olika typer och grader av funktionsnedsättning. Den här kunskapsöversikten redovisar forskningsbaserad kunskap om övergången från ungdoms- till vuxenliv för personer med funktionsnedsättning.

The transition from adolecense to adulthood includes several changes, such as completing school, leaving home and start working. It also involves establishing new relationships, meeting a partner, having your own family and shaping a new identity as an adult. This transition may for some young adults, and especially for some young adults with disabilities, involve challenges. In the present study, a broad mapping of the scientific knowledge about the transition for young adults with disabilities has been completed. The study focuses specifically on conditions for transition, for instance different supporting measures, and outcomes such as social relationships and employment.

The aim of the study is to review the state of art in transition research, from childhood to adulthood, for young adults with disabilities.

During the development of research to compare the processes and impact of inclusive education in Sweden with results obtained from a study undertaken in Ireland, a pilot study was conducted and documented. The pilot study had three aims: (1) to gather data to provide guidance for a substantive study adapted to Swedish conditions through modification of Irish research procedures and instruments, (2) to critically interrogate how we as researchers could most effectively conduct a pilot study utilizing observational and video-recorded data, and (3) to use the Irish theoretical model as a tool of analysis for studying inclusion in two Swedish schools. Although pilot studies are frequently conducted to assess the efficacy of research instruments for use in qualitative research projects, few publications have drawn upon empirical findings related to such studies. Additionally, while methodological texts recommend the use of pilot studies in qualitative research, there is a lack of reported research focusing on how to conduct such pilot studies. We argue that our methodological findings may contribute to greater awareness of the important role that a pilot study may have for full-scale qualitative research projects, for example, in case study research where semi-structured qualitative interviews are used. This argument is based on the assumption that researchers, and especially novice researchers, having conducted a pilot study will be better informed and prepared to face the challenges that are likely to arise in the substantive study and more confident in the instruments to be used for data collection. A proper analysis of the procedures and results from the pilot study facilitates the identification of weaknesses that may be addressed. A carefully organized and managed pilot study has the potential to increase the quality of the research as results from such studies can inform subsequent parts of the research process.