https://www.mdu.se/

This presentation is about a Swedish study in which two groups of young people are actors, one group as research partners and another group as respondents in a study about young people’s participation. A model of the research circle, based on the Scandinavian study-circle tradition with democratic ideals, was created with young people invited as research partners in the research circle by academic researchers. The innovative design of the study included young people in the knowledge construction about youth participation. The young research partners formulated the research questions and implemented a ‘Youth survey’ among other students in secondary and upper secondary schools. Respondents in the survey are 100 students (15-18y) from mainstream schools and special schools for the Hard-of Hearing. The aim of the study was to define young people’s perspectives on participation in school-life. The young people in the study identify to have friends, being able to exert influence and understanding as central aspects of participation. They describe that the experience of participation depend on their opportunities to enact agency, responsibility, and control. Access to a free and supportive communicative context, with the agency to contribute to the interaction and decision-making is key when promoting young people’s participation in school. In this presentation, the innovative research model, as well as the report written by the adolescents in the research circle will be presented.