AUTHOR=Boman Björn , Hultin Rosenberg Jonas 

TITLE=Democratic inclusiveness, knowledge focus or something else? Critical analysis of the curriculum for Swedish pupils with intellectual disabilities

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Education

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1602264

DOI=10.3389/feduc.2025.1602264

ISSN=2504-284X

ABSTRACT=The extent to which compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disabilities (ID) differs from regular compulsory school is partly reflected in its curriculum. Regarding elements such as democracy and democratic inclusiveness, research is typically lacking. An analysis of the latest curriculum for Swedish pupils with ID shows that discursive themes such as knowledge, learning, values, and democracy are salient features. That in turn indicates a substantial overlap with the regular compulsory school in terms of aims, values, and syllabi contents. However, the curriculum fails to convey how pupils with ID should learn or elaborate on elements such as democratic participation and be prepared for a future life as democratic citizens, leaving teachers and other stakeholders without guidance in terms of implementation practices. Hence, while the set goals are high it is unclear if they are to be deemed as aspiration goals rather than realistic goals for most pupils with ID.