This paper studies how changing political, economic, and social conditions in and related to Sweden affected its secondary education policy and the role that social science didactics plays. By analyzing Swedish secondary school curricula, the related social science syllabus, education act, and corresponding organizational documents, the causes for, and context of education reform become clear. The school’s purpose is to impart general abilities and knowledge that all persons will require to function in society and maintain democracy, equality, and international solidarity. Additionally, the school is found to conform to the same template, values, and norms as the economic and political aspects of globalization and modern democratic society. The school subject that wholely addresses general knowledge, civil abilities, and democratic values is found to be social science. Engaging social issues as a didactical tool, social science teaching imparts in students democratic values and the civil abilities to participate in society. Through the quality assurance of evaluations, knowledge requirements emerged as a policy for providing students with the opportunity to learn at one’s capacity. By meeting its knowledge requirements, social science produces students who are stewards of democratic values that, by participating in the community, contribute to social development in every venture during life after school.

Detta arbete syftar till att bidra med utökad kunskap om hur samhällskunskapslärare på gymnasiet utformar undervisning om samhällsaktuella händelser. Studien ämnar beskriva lärarnas didaktiska avvägningar vid urvalet av undervisningsmetoder. Utöver det var syftet att undersöka vilka ramfaktorer som påverkar lärarna mest i undervisningen om samhällsaktuella händelser. Studien bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer med sex lärare i samhällskunskap som undervisar på olika skolor i landet. Dessa hade varierade erfarenheter av undervisningen och utöver det undervisade olika elevgrupper som kännetecknades av olika etniska, kulturella och socioekonomiska bakgrunder. Resultatet visar att lärarna påverkas i undervisningen av olika faktorer som bestäms främst genom styrdokumenten, administrationen och de olika elevgrupperna. Empirin visar att lärarna undervisar kontinuerligt om samhällsaktuella händelser genom varierande undervisningsmetoder. Empirin påvisar också att de mest positiva påverkningsfaktorerna i undervisningen var eleverna själva medan de hämmande undervisningsfaktorerna var av den administrativa karaktären. Slutsatsen som dras från studien handlar om lärarens behov av anpassning till skolans specifika kultur och miljö, arbetsvillkor med avseende på tillgängliga resurser samt den miljö som eleverna kommer ifrån. Studiens viktigaste bidrag bekräftar det ramfaktorteoretiska ramverkets riktighet att undervisningen utformas med hjälp av olika tolkningar av styrdokumenten och anpassas till en specifik elevgrupp. Konsekvensen blir att såväl lektionsinnehåll som krav och bedömningar ser olika ut i olika undervisningsgrupper. / This work aims to contribute with increased knowledge about how social studies teachers at upper secondary school design teaching about current events in society. The study aims to describe the teacher´s didactic considerations for the selection of teaching methods. In addition to that, the aim was to investigate which framework factors influence the teachers the most in teaching about current events in society. The study is based on qualitative interviews with six social studies teachers who teach at different schools in the country. These had varied experiences of teaching and, in addition, taught different groups of students characterized by different ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds. The results show that the teachers are influenced in teaching by a range of factors which are mainly determined by the governing documents, the administration, and the different student groups. Empiric evidence shows that teachers continuously teach about current events in society through varying teaching methods. Empiric evidence shows also that the most positive influencing factors in teaching were the students themselves, while the inhibiting teaching factors were of an administrative nature. The conclusion drawn from the study concerns the teacher's need for adaptation to the school's specific culture and environment, working conditions with respect to available resources and the environment the students come from. The study's most important contribution confirms the correctness of the frame factor theoretical framework, that the teaching is designed with the help of different interpretations of the governing documents and is adapted to a specific student group. Consequently, lesson content, as well as requirements and assessment are different in different student group.