This thesis investigates the implementation of Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and associated challenges from the perspectives of Swedish teachers on listening to students’ voices. Using a qualitative case study in a Swedish compulsory school, semi-structured interview for teachers of 7-9 grades in compulsory school was conducted, and data was analyzed with thematic analysis. The study explores teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding participation, emphasizing children’s entitlement to express opinions and influence decision-making processes. The research reveals a range of perspectives among teachers, highlighting the complexities of teacher-student relationships and how teachers perceive student voices. Teachers emphasize the importance of both listening to and guiding students, demonstrating a practical balance in classroom contexts and recognizing the benefits of fostering student engagement for improved learning outcomes. The study provides examples of the successful application of participatory concepts, challenging adult skepticism about student participation. These findings address gaps in research by focusing on teachers’ perspectives on student participation in compulsory school settings, an area previously understudied. The insights gained inform strategies to enhance student participation, promoting the practical implementation of Article 12 of UNCRC. Moreover, the study challenges hierarchical participation models, emphasizing the importance of contextual factors in effective student involvement strategies. This research offers valuable insights for educators aiming to empower students in diverse classroom environments while considering specific educational contexts and needs.

The objective of this multiple case study was to examine how three pairs of high school students from a northern Vermont high school approached quadratic functions through traditional and multiple representation tasks. Four research questions were examined: 1) How do students think about the quadratic function as they work on a series of tasks? 2) What mathematical strategies do students employ when they work on a series of tasks related to the quadratic function? 3) How does the type of task, traditional versus multiple representation, impact students' understanding of the quadratic function? 4) What kinds of knowledge (procedural or conceptual) do students utilize when completing a series of tasks about the quadratic function? Qualitative research methods that utilized think-aloud protocols while students were engaged in four tasks pertaining to the quadratic function were employed in this study. Results suggested that students tend to think about isolated parts of the problem when solving quadratic problems. Early on in their learning about quadratics, students primarily relied on procedural strategies such as think-alouds, gestures, algebraic formulas, converting equation forms, process of elimination, dissecting problems, backtracking, and drawing pictures. In addition, students preferred the standard form to the vertex form when solving quadratics and often confused the y-intercept of the standard form with the y-coordinate of the vertex when the function was in vertex form. Results also indicated that students preferred to algebraically solve a problem versus tabular or graphical strategies. By exploring how students approach the quadratic function through their own voices, this study offers some insight into the conceptions and strategies that students use for solving problems that involve the quadratic function as well as possibilities for how quadratics may be taught in high school.

The United Nations General Assembly recognized the years from 2005 to 2014 as the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD). Students perspectives on education for sustainable development and student perceptions on action projects for sustainable development are almost absent from the literature. This thesis presents an analysis of students voices and experiences as a result of Youth Forum 2008 (a forum proposed to support high school students as action leaders in sustainability projects) in three different case locations. The study attempts to understand students challenges with their action projects, examining them in the context of dominant discourses and explores supports that can be put into place to facilitate students navigation toward their goals of completing successful action projects for sustainable development.<p> This qualitative study was composed of a series of focus group recorded conversations with ten high school student participants involved in three different school sites who all attempted to complete action projects for sustainable development. Many themes were identified: time, whether projects were extracurricular or curricular, school community, teacher, teacher education, marks/evaluation, community engagement, youth forum and technology. In the examination and interpretation many attractions and distractions for the student participants were identified. By interpreting the students experiences through the language of the students, a deeper understanding of the dominant discourses of schools and society and how they might limit the students highlights broader ideas about students struggles and triumphs in education and with teaching. In the conclusion, I suggest recommendations and I also suggest further avenues for research.

The United Nations General Assembly recognized the years from 2005 to 2014 as the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD). Students perspectives on education for sustainable development and student perceptions on action projects for sustainable development are almost absent from the literature. This thesis presents an analysis of students voices and experiences as a result of Youth Forum 2008 (a forum proposed to support high school students as action leaders in sustainability projects) in three different case locations. The study attempts to understand students challenges with their action projects, examining them in the context of dominant discourses and explores supports that can be put into place to facilitate students navigation toward their goals of completing successful action projects for sustainable development.<p> This qualitative study was composed of a series of focus group recorded conversations with ten high school student participants involved in three different school sites who all attempted to complete action projects for sustainable development. Many themes were identified: time, whether projects were extracurricular or curricular, school community, teacher, teacher education, marks/evaluation, community engagement, youth forum and technology. In the examination and interpretation many attractions and distractions for the student participants were identified. By interpreting the students experiences through the language of the students, a deeper understanding of the dominant discourses of schools and society and how they might limit the students highlights broader ideas about students struggles and triumphs in education and with teaching. In the conclusion, I suggest recommendations and I also suggest further avenues for research.

Utifrån Normaliseringsprincipen och demokratiska strömningar under andra hälften av 1900-talet påbörjades på skolområdet en integreringsprocess. Begreppet inkludering introducerades senare för att markera skolans ansvar i frågan. Trots inkluderingsuppdraget har avskiljande lösningar inom skolan åter blivit vanliga. Studier om rörelsehindrade barns skolvardag visar att det förekommer många exkluderande situationer i skolan, ofta omedvetna och i tron att dessa är bäst för eleven. Dessa situationer är en följd av att skolan inte arbetar på organisationsnivå med inkluderingsfrågor. Syftet med denna studie har varit att belysa inkluderingsaspekter i skolan för elever med rörelsehinder. Deltagarna i studien var tre unga personer med rörelsehinder som gått inkluderade i skolan. Studien har en livshistorisk ansats där deltagarna berättade om sina skolminnen, som sedan analyserades utifrån Tangens modell om fyra dimensioner: tid, mening, relationer, samt självbestämmande och kontroll. Deltagarna bedömer att de i den inkluderade skolverksamheten utvecklats, men att de många gånger fått kämpa för sin rätt och ibland fått lösa uppkomna situationer själva. De har alla haft elevassistent. De unga vuxna som deltagit i studien är positiva till inkludering och menar att detta har gett dem bättre möjligheter i deras vuxna liv. Vidare forskning kan vara longitudinella studier om elever med funktionsnedsättningar och fortsatta studier, hur den marknadsanpassade skolan påverkar elever med funktionsnedsättningars möjligheter att gå inkluderade, studier om elevassistentens funktion samt hur inkluderande idrottsundervisningen ska bedrivas för elever med rörelsehinder. / Based on the Normalization Principle and democratic movements in the second half of the 1900s an integration process considering school began. The concept of inclusion was introduced later to mark the school's responsibility in the matter. Despite the inclusion mission separation solutions for school has again become common. Studies on disabled children's school day shows that there are many exclusive situations in school, often unconscious, and in the belief that these are the best for the student. These situations are a result of schools not working at the organizational level with inclusion issues. The purpose of this study was to illuminate the inclusion aspects of the school for students with disabilities. Participants in the study were three young people with disabilities who have included the school. The study has a life-historical approach in which participants talked about their school memories, which were then analyzed based on Tangen´s model in four dimensions: time, meaning, relationships, and self-determination and control. The participants believe that they included in the school system evolved but they often had to fight for their rights and sometimes had to resolve arisen situations  themselves. They have all had a student assistant. The young adults who participated in the study are positive towards inclusion and believe that this has given them better opportunities in their adult lives. Further research may be longitudinal studies of students with disabilities and further studies, how the market-school affects students with disabilities and their ability to be included at  school, studies on student assistant's function and how inclusive physical education should be conducted for students with disabilities.