To Örebro University

In Sweden, teaching and learning materials were nationally regulated and reviewed during the 20th century. As for today, the teaching and learning materials available in schools relies on by the school’s budget, the producers marketing skills and the teacher’s competence. Hence, the access to and quality of teaching materials varies from school to school. This is worrying as it likely leads to a more unequal education (Graeske, 2021). To study the consequences of this situation the Swedish government instigated an investigation, which final report currently is under review by stock-takers (SOU 2021:70). At the same time, there is increased school stress in children and young people, reduced goal fulfillment and a failing equivalence (Högberg, et al., 2020; Nygren, 2021). This can be related to segregation tendencies and is a societal challenge that needs to be dealt with in every school and by the education sector. Lack of equality affects and is affected by teachers' opportunities to support students' learning (Skolverket, 2012, 2017), and teaching materials are central in this respect. 

We claim that it is of great importance to critically review the foundations on which policies are created to show how they can condition the opportunities for all students learning. In relation to students in need of support for their learning, digital teaching and learning materials often work as adaptions of teaching and as personal aids, at the same time, these students specific learning needs and inclusion is in the core of the proposal. There is a lack of availability to adapted materials, and there is ambivalence regarding digital materials and adapted or alternative materials (Bagger, Ålander & Karlsson, accepted abstract). Hence, the teaching materials investigation's proposal (SOU 2020:70) has a potential to influence how and if students are offered an equivalent education, or not, especially for students in need of support for their learning. Furthermore, we derive from an understanding that learning materials sometimes function as an institutional barrier for inclusive education, unless critical perspectives are taken into consideration when selecting education material (Leask, 2015). Following from this, the purpose of the following proposal is to display and explore (dis)connections between the schools governing documents on students in need of support for their learning, and how these students and their learning is depicted in the proposal and the responding bodies answers. 

This presentation is connected to the Swedish part of an EU-project on digital inclusive teaching materials DigiLLM. Also, it resembles a part study in the project Teaching materials and their quality – as aspects of inclusion. This has also been presented at NERA but then out from research question 1 in the project, which concerns “…how the policy proposal (and the responding bodies) condition aspects of inclusion and to consider how the issue of quality and access relates to all students' learning” (Bagger, Ålander & Karlsson, accepted abstract). In the study at hand, we have instead put our focus on the projects research question 2; “How does this (the policy documents conditioning of inclusion and teaching materials) relate to the school's mission to support all students' learning and the school's support efforts?” This mean that we have correlated governing documents on students in need of support and the newly implemented curricula LGR22 – to the proposal and especially regarding digital aspects of teaching and learning materials. In prolongation, the project contributes to systematizing knowledge about how the availability and quality of learning materials is conditioned, how it conditions the learning opportunities through institutional barriers and how the availability and quality in teaching and learning materials for all students can be secured.

Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe materials analysed are the investigations proposal on teaching and learning materials (SOU 2021:70), but also governing documents that concern all children’s rights to learn and be given support for their learning in school:  The new curricula LGR22, the School act (SFS 2010:800), The Act on the Rights of the Child (SFS, 2018: 1197) and the National Agency for Educations advice on providing support for learning. Segments of texts that could concern students in need of support for their learning and teaching/learning materials at the same time, was initially selected. In determining this, we derive from a broad understanding of the concept of the learner in need of support. Hence all passages that mentions support for the learning in some way, was considered to apply. Also, by teaching/learning materials we also derive from a broad understanding. Hence, it could mean all kinds of medias and materials for learning that was mentioned. We did so by posing some basic questions to the texts: 1) who is the student in need of support? 2) what is the material mentioned? and 3) what obstacles and opportunities for learning is depicted? We analyzed these statements via a qualitative and thematic content analysis (see for example Creswell, 2007).  After selecting segments of texts that corresponded to these three questions, we searched after connections between the three sampled selections. We then systematically explored the intersection between teaching/learning materials and students in need of support for their learning. Themes found were adaptions of materials, students’ accessibility and teachers and principals knowledge and responsibility as being core. The intersection of students in need of support and teaching materials was not found in the already existing governing documents of the school, except on a very general level. One or the other was rather mentioned.Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings

Statements on teaching materials for students in need of support in the governing documents is scarce. The School Act (SFS 2010:800) mentions school libraries being granted for all students and access to relevant books and tools for learning. In the children’s rights act (SFS 2018:1197) it is specifically stated that children are to be granted access to education and children’s books is to be promoted. In governing documents on special support (Skolverket, 2022) special teaching materials or tools is labeled as extra adaptions. The curricula (LGR22) stated that it is the principal’s responsibility that students: “get access and the ability to use high quality learning materials and other tools for learning in an up-to-date education, including school libraries and digital tools”, this includes children in need of support for their learning. Considering the absence of more concrete statements of the intersection of students in need of support for their learning and teaching materials, development of this area is highly needed. Moreover, we claim that the schools governing documents need to explain what is meant by adaptions, access, and high quality – beyond general and overarching statements. These are hard to claim as a right, use as guidance or to search for proof of. The investigation (SOU 2021:70) highlights access and availability of teaching materials for students with disabilities. Furthermore, key is then teachers and principals’ responsibilities, knowledge, and skills in arranging with this, including digital resources. We finally conclude that the investigation communicates an intention to support all students learning and to promote inclusiveness of materials. This does not by far mean that students access to teaching/learning materials with high quality is secured. The proposal made is of potentially big importance for all student’s equal access to high quality and equal materials, but not in sync with the current governing documents.