Abstract
This chapter describes and analyzes Swedish educational policy related to technology and digital education over the past decades with a focus on how the relation between learning and information technology, as well as digitalization and its impact on other aspects of school development and management have been argued for and how it has been proposed to influence school practice. The analysis is based on a review of eight selected educational policy documents that relate to the framework of phases of Swedish educational reforms suggested by Sundberg. The result reveals that although there are some overlaps and recurring themes in the politics over time, connections between the rationale behind the political arguments and the reform timeframes are obvious. During its early years, digital education adopted a clear centralized and top-down strategy with extensive government investments without taking into account the local needs and conditions. Later, in line with decentralization and marketization of education, the performance turn, and the adoption of accountability as a governing model, more demands have been placed on local responsibility and self-regulating regarding digitalization in school. At the same time, research-based evidence and international comparison have been used as a basis to justify further development of digital education.
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Gu, L., Lindberg, O.J. (2021). Understanding Swedish Educational Policy Developments in the Field of Digital Education. In: Krejsler, J.B., Moos, L. (eds) What Works in Nordic School Policies?. Educational Governance Research, vol 15. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66629-3_11
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