Med tanke på den variationsrikedom som finns bland svenska medborgare är det relevant att arbeta för en ökad mångfald på arbetsplatserna i samhället. Att öka mångfalden och attraktiviteten för polisyrket är ett aktuellt ämne då Polismyndigheten har som ambition att bibehålla den kompetens som mångfald tillför samt för att spegla det samhälle de verkar i. Antagningsstatistik visar att individer med utländsk bakgrund har svårare att klara antagningsprocessen till polisutbildningen till skillnad från individer med svensk bakgrund. Syftet med studien har varit att undersöka om individer med utländsk bakgrund har svårare att klara prövningen till polisutbildningen i Sverige samt jämföra och studera individernfrågeställningas bakgrund för att bilda kunskap och få en ökad förståelse om vad som kan vara meriterande utöver de formella behörighetskraven. Med en huvudfrågeställning samt två underfrågor har empirin formats av en kvantitativ enkätundersökning som bygger på en positivistisk metodansats. Resultatet har analyserats med hjälp av teorier och begrepp som antar ett sociologiskt perspektiv; Pierre Bourdieus habitus, kulturellt- och socialt kapital samt Paulina De los Reyes och Diana Mulinaris intersektionalitet. Utifrån den insamlade empirin visar studien att individer med utländsk bakgrund har liknande möjligheter att klara prövningen till polisutbildningen i Sverige, som en individ med svensk bakgrund. Respondenterna har liknande bakgrunder, ett liknande habitus, sociala- samt kulturella kapitaltillgångar. Det är svårt att se hur prövningen till polisutbildningen i Sverige förhåller sig till individens multipla identiteter och till begreppet mångfald, då man utifrån ett intersektionellt perspektiv på antagningsprocessen inte kan synliggöra en ojämlikhet mellan individer med svensk- och utländsk bakgrund där man bortsett från att ta hänsyn till att respondenterna kan tillhöra flera kategorier samtidigt. / It is relevant to work towards increased diversity in the society ́s workplaces due to the substantial variation of ethnicities among Swedish citizens. To increase the diversity and attraction towards the police profession is a current subject because Polismyndigheten embodies certain ambitions to withhold the competence that diversity brings, as well as reflecting the society they provide in. Admission statistics shows that individuals with foreign background have a harder time during the admission process in comparison to people with Swedish background. The purpose of this study have been to research why individuals with foreign background have a tougher time to complete that trails of Swedish police education, along with comparing and studying individuals background to gain an improved understanding about what appears to bo admirable in addition to the formal eligibility requirements. The empirical have been formed by a quantitative survey that builds on a positivistic method comprised of a main issue together with two follow-up questions. The results have been analyzed using theories and concepts that assumes a sociological perspective; Pierre Bourdieus habitus, cultural- and social capital, along Paulina De los Reyes and Diana Mulinaris intersectionality. The study shows that individuals with foreign background have similar possibilities regarding completing the trails of Swedish police education in comparison to those of Swedish background, based on the collected empiricism. The respondents have similar backgrounds, similar habitus, social- and cultural capital assets. It is difficult to understand how the trails of police education in Sweden relate to individuals multiple identities in addition to the concept diversity, because of the inability to see an inequality between people with Swedish or foreign background during the admission process based on an intersectional perspective where the respondents could potentially belong to more categories simultaneously.

The purpose of the study is to understand whether, and if so why, the Swedish medical profession's position on the availability and shortage of doctors during the 1950s and 1960s could be interpreted as an expression of an overall common mentality within the medical profession. The start and end points of the study (1950 and 1970) cover the emergence of the Swedish welfare state. The emergence of the welfare state is the contextual background to this study and how that influenced the medical profession's social status and perception of the future role of their own profession. The source material for the study is mainly from the Swedish medical journal (Svenska Läkartidningen) and meeting minutes from various Swedish medical organisations, primarily the Swedish Medical Association (Sveriges Läkarförbund). Government public inquiries, government bills and the daily press have also been analysed. The analysis is based on three central proposals for action from the government to secure the future supply of doctors and stem the shortage of doctors. The proposals were the transfer of foreign doctors to Sweden, the expansion of education of doctors and the reorganisation of the Swedish health care system. The study shows that the argumentation from the Swedish medical profession against all proposals from the government consisted of several different rhetorical manoeuvres to exercise social closure. Another conclusion is that until the mid-1960s, both the Swedish Association of Young Doctors and the Swedish Medical Association acted mainly as professional associations, rather than as traditional trade unions regarding the expansion of the medical profession. From the mid-1960s, there are tendencies indicating that the association more began to resemble a traditional trade union. However, professional issues such as improvement in the profession, demands for exclusivity, social status and issues of legitimisation appear to have been more important throughout the period than more traditional trade union issues such as pay, employment conditions and the working environment. The professions' opposition to increasing the number of doctors, regardless of the method proposed by the government and responsible authorities, was characterised by a clear guild spirit. The study shows that the medical organisation arguments against the various proposals were driven by union strategies, attitudes, and norms and in some cases ideology. The mentality of medical professional representatives and individual doctors was influenced by the professional status of the medical profession with inherent norms and attitudes based on the doctors' self-perceived expertise and scientifically anchored professional identity. A central conclusion from the study is that the main rhetorical line of the professional representatives was that more doctors were neither desirable nor needed in the medical profession and therefore most of the arguments against an expanded medical profession were based on some form of protectionism. This was justified by the profession by using historical analogies and by conducting their own 'objective and scientific' investigations. A right-wing based criticism of society at the time and a fundamentally conservative view of the economy, the tax system and the expansion of the welfare state also served as rhetorical tools from the medical profession in the debate on the shortage of doctors.

Sverige tillämpar representativ demokrati och för att de ska fungerar är det viktigt att alla är med och röstar för att välja sina representanter till riksdag, kommun och region. För att ett land ska betraktas som demokratiskt tillämpas allmän och lika rösträtt vilket ger medborgarna likgiltiga möjligheter och rättigheter att delta i politiken och kunna påverka. Å andra sidan har studier visat att ungdomar och personer med utländsk bakgrund röstar i mindre utsträckning jämfört med resterande befolkning. Syftet i studien är att utforska och få en förståelse för hur kommuner i Sverige arbetar och samverkar med andra aktörer för att nå ut och öka valdeltagandet bland unga samt personer med utländsk bakgrund. Utöver det hur arbetar kommunerna med att sprida politisk kunskap och vikten av politisk representation till medborgarna. Empirin i studien har samlats in via en kvalitativ metod, där en semistrukturerade intervjuguide används. De som blev intervjuade var antingen politiker eller personer som arbetade med valdeltagandet i kommunen. Studiens teorier är politisk representation, samverkan och samarbete samt kunskapsöverföring. Studien visar att kommunerna har haft olika insatser för att öka valdeltagandet bland dessa grupper samt att arbetssätten har sett olika ut, de har haft olika möjligheter, motiverat på olika sätt samt haft olika resurser. Utöver detta har de även samverkat med andra aktörer för att öka valdeltagandet. Kommunerna arbetar med att sprida information om vikten av att delta i val där de anser att alla bör vara med och rösta för att kunna göra en förändring i samhället. / Sweden applies representative democracy and for it to work, it is important that everyone participates and votes to elect their representatives to parliament, municipality and region. For a country to be considered democratic, universal and equal suffrage is applied, which gives citizens indifferent opportunities and rights to participate in politics and be able to influence. On the other hand, studies have shown that young people and people with a foreign background vote to a lesser extent compared to the rest of the population. The purpose of the study is to explore and gain an understanding of how municipalities in Sweden work and collaborate with other actors to reach out and increase voter turnout among young people and people with a foreign background. In addition to that, how do the municipalities work to spread political knowledge and the importance of political representation to the citizens. The experience in the study has been collected via a qualitative method, where a semi-structured interview guide is used. Those who were interviewed were either politicians or people who worked with electoral participation in the municipality. The study's theories are political representation, cooperation and collaboration and knowledge transfer. The study shows that the municipalities have had different efforts to increase voter participation among these groups and that the working methods have looked different, they have had different opportunities, motivated in different ways and had different resources. In addition to this, they have also collaborated with other actors to increase voter turnout. The municipalities are working to spread information about the importance of participating in elections where they believe that everyone should participate and vote to make a change in society.

Individuals with a foreign background are particularly financially exposed group in society,who are more likely to receive financial assistance. This study investigates long-term welfarerecipients with a foreign background and their path to self-sufficiency from the perspective ofthe social workers. The study answers two main questions: Firstly, what factors contribute tolong-term acceptance of aid among individuals with a foreign background? Secondly, whatdoes social workers' work look like with long-term welfare recipients with a foreignbackground? The study is based on a qualitative methodological approach, through semi-structured interviews with five social workers from various municipalities within theStockholm area who work within their respective units for financial assistance. The empirical data have been processed with thematic analysis, and the presented results havebeen analyzed with the theoretical frameworks of capital theory and empowerment. Theresults of this study show that both individual- and structural factors can contribute toindividuals with a foreign background getting stuck as long-term welfare recipients. Some ofthe factors are, for example, lack of language skills, low education level, segregation, alimited social network and the demands of the labor market. The results also show that socialworkers' work with long-term welfare recipients who have foreign background is mainlyabout motivational work and finding new individual-strengthening ways to help the clientsbreak their dependence on benefits, where the work can be particularly challenging with thistarget group. In conclusion, this study has contributed to an enhanced understanding of along-term welfare recipients among individuals with a foreign background and how socialworkers work in relation to these clients. / Individer med utländsk bakgrund är en särskilt ekonomiskt utsatt grupp i samhället som istörre utsträckning blir aktuella för att erhålla ekonomiskt bistånd. Syftet med denna studie äratt undersöka långvariga biståndstagare med utländsk bakgrund och deras väg ut till egenförsörjning utifrån socialsekreterarnas perspektiv. Studien besvarar de två framtagnafrågeställningarna; Vilka faktorer bidrar till ett långvarigt biståndstagande hos individer medutländsk bakgrund? och Hur ser socialsekreterarnas arbete ut med långvariga biståndstagarehos individer med utländsk bakgrund? En kvalitativ metod är grunden för empirin i dennastudie genom semistrukurerade intervjuer med fem socialsekreterare som arbetar inomenheten för ekonomiskt bistånd i olika kommuner inom Stockholmsområdet.  Empirin har bearbetats med tematisk analys där det presenterade resultatet sedan haranalyserats med stöd av de två teoretiska utgångspunkterna kapitalteorin och empowerment.Denna studies resultat visar att både individuella och strukturella faktorer kan bidra till attindivider med utländsk bakgrund fastnar i ett långvarigt biståndstagande. Några av defaktorerna är exempelvis bristande språkkunskaper, låg utbildningsnivå, segregation,begränsat socialt nätverk och arbetsmarknadens krav. Dessutom visar resultaten attsocialsekreterarnas arbete med de långvariga biståndstagarna som har utländsk bakgrundfrämst handlar om motiverande arbete och hitta nya individstärkande vägar för att hjälpaklienterna att bryta sitt bidragsberoende, där arbetet kan vara särskilt utmanande med dennamålgrupp. Denna studie har därmed givit ökad kunskap om långvariga biståndstagare blandindivider med utländsk bakgrund och hur socialsekreterare arbetar i relation till dessaklienter.

Bakgrund: Inkludering av barn och ungdomar med utländsk bakgrund är viktigt för att idrotten ska vara inkluderande för alla. Tidigare undersökningar visar att personer med utländsk bakgrund har svårigheter att bli en del av idrott på grund av språkliga brister, föräldrar, kultur, socioekonomisk status och ekonomi. Den tidigare forskningen inom ämnet förklarar intresset av att undersöka idrottsföreningar och RF-SISU Värmlands arbete med inkludering av barn och ungdomar med utländsk bakgrund. Syfte: Det huvudsakliga syftet med uppsatsen var att undersöka hur idrottsföreningar och RF-SISU i Värmland arbetar med att inkludera utsatta grupper inom idrotten, med fokus på barn och ungdomar med utländsk bakgrund. För att besvara syftet utgick uppsatsen från tre frågeställningar: Hur arbetar idrottsföreningarna i Värmland för ett inkluderande idrottsklimat för barn och ungdomar med utländsk bakgrund? Vilka svårigheter upplever idrottsföreningar med att inkludera barn och ungdomar med utländsk bakgrund? Vilken roll har RF-SISU Värmland i arbetet med inkludering av barn och ungdomar med utländsk bakgrund? Metod: Uppsatsen har utgått från en kvalitativ metod och insamlandet av material skedde med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer. Urvalet bestod av fem personer från idrottsföreningar i Värmland som på något vis arbetar alternativt har arbetat med inkludering, samt en person från RF-SISU Värmland. Tematisk analys användes för att ta ut det mest relevanta från intervjuerna kopplat till syfte och frågeställningar. Analysen gav två teman med tillhörande underteman vilket presenteras i resultatet. Resultat: Uppsatsens resultat visade att idrottsföreningarna arbetar med att inkludera barn och ungdomar med utländsk bakgrund på olika sätt. Betydelsen av att verka i ett socioekonomiskt svagare område var viktigt för att locka fler med utländsk bakgrund, och flickor med utländsk bakgrund var en viktig målgrupp att nå ut till. Resultatet visade även att det fanns svårigheter med att inkludera barn och ungdomar med utländsk bakgrund utifrån fyra faktorer. De förkommande faktorerna var föräldrar och ledare med utländsk bakgrund, socioekonomisk status och ekonomiska förutsättningar. RF-SISU Värmlands roll i arbetet med att inkludera barn och ungdomar med utländsk bakgrund visade sig vara i form av stöttning och beroende av idrottsföreningars behov.  Diskussion: Uppsatsens resultat stämmer överens med tidigare forskning gällande påverkan av socioekonomisk status, föräldrar, kulturella skillnader och ekonomiska förutsättningar. Det teoretiska ramverket för uppsatsen med överbryggande socialt kapital och intersektionalitet som perspektiv gav en större förståelse för uppsatsens resultat. Vidare behövs det fortsatt forskning inom området för att få en djupare förståelse om inkludering av barn och ungdomar utifrån andra faktorer som föräldrar och ledare med utländsk bakgrund. / Background: Inclusion of children and youths with a foreign background in sport association is important for sports to be for everyone. Previous research shows that people with a foreign background have difficulties to become a part of sports due to language deficits, parents, culture, socioeconomic status and economy. The previous research within the subject explains the personal interest in investigating sports associations and RF-SISU Varmland´s work to include children and youths with foreign background in organized sports. Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine how sport associations and RF-SISU Varmland work to include vulnerable groups in sports with a focus on children and young people with a foreign background. The essay was based on three questions to answer the overall purpose of the study: How do the sport associations work to include children and youths with a foreign background. What difficulties do sports associations experience with including children and youths with a foreign background?  What role does RF-SISU Varmland have in the work to include children and young people with a foreign background? Method: The study has had a qualitative method and the qualitative semi structured interview was used as the data collection method. A range of five people from sports associations in Varmland who in some way work or alternatively have worked with inclusion, as well as one person from RF-SISU Värmland were selected. Thematic analyzes were used as the analysis method and presented two themes and associated subthemes Results: The results of the study showed the sport associations work to include children and youths in different ways. To operate in a socioeconomically weaker area was important to attract more children and youths with a foreign background, and girls with a foreign background were an important group to reach out to. The results also showed that there are difficulties with including children and young people with a foreign background based on four factors. The factors were parents and leaders with a foreign background, socioeconomic status and economic conditions. RF-SISU Varmland´s role in the work to include children and youths with a foreign background was to support sport associations. Discussion: The results of the study are consistent with previous research regarding the influence of socioeconomic status, parents, cultural differences and economic conditions. The theoretical framework for the study with bridging social capital and intersectionality as perspectives provided a greater understanding of the results. Furthermore, continued research is needed within the area. The research needs to provide a wider perspective and investigate factors as parents and leaders with foreign background.

Senaste decennierna har Sverigedemokraternas (SD) väljarstöd ökat framgångsrikt, inte minst bland personer med utländsk, inklusive utomeuropeisk, bakgrund. SD:s väljare skiljer sig från övriga i valmanskåren med avseende på politiska attityder – förtroende för politiker, institutioner, nationalism, synen på invandring och placering på vänster-högerskalan – och sociala skiljelinjer – utbildningsnivå, inkomst och yrkestillhörighet. Personer med utländsk bakgrund är en växande väljargrupp i Sverige, även som SD-väljare och sympatisörer. Därför är syftet med uppsatsen att undersöka vad som utmärker SD-sympatisörer från andra partiers sympatisörer inom grupperna med utländsk och utomeuropeisk bakgrund med avseende på politiska attityder och socioekonomiska egenskaper. Detta har undersökts genom deskriptiv statistik och regressionsanalyser med data från den nationella SOM-undersökning 2021. Resultaten av bivariata regressionsanalyser visar att SD-sympatisörer med utländsk och utomeuropeisk bakgrund skiljer sig från andra partiers sympatisörer med samma bakgrund avseende graden av förtroende för politiker och myndigheter och ideologisk orientering. De är i högre grad för minskat antal flyktingar och tillhör gruppen arbetare. I multivariat regressionsanalys kvarstår de statistiskt signifikanta sambanden mellan förtroende för myndigheter, ideologisk orientering och yrkestillhörighet för gruppen med utländsk bakgrund. För den utomeuropeiska gruppen var sambanden inte längre signifikanta. Eftersom grupperna är underrepresenterade i forskning och väldigt heterogena behövs studier med tydligare differentiering i framtiden.

Bakgrund: Aktiemarknaden är viktig för att företag ska kunna samla kapital och möjligheten för investerare att få avkastning. Utländskt ägande är betydande, vilket ökar likviditeten men samtidigt sårbarheten. Valutakurser påverkar aktiemarknaden, särskilt för exportföretag. En svag krona gör svenska investeringar mer attraktiva och gynnar exporten. Sambandet mellan valutakurser, aktiemarknaden och utländskt ägande är viktigt för investerare. Syfte: Studiens syfte är att undersöka det dynamiska sambandet mellan valutakurser, utländskt ägande och den svenska aktiemarknaden. Dessutom avser den att beskriva om det går att förutse marknadsrörelser med hjälp av valutakurserna. Metod: Studien använder sig av kvantitativ metod och använder sig av Pearson korrelationsanalys samt multipel regression. Teori: Studien utgår från effektiva marknadshypotesen och behavioral finance.  Slutsatser: Det visade sig att 4 av 5 valutor har en signifikant korrelation till OMXSPI, där den norska kronan är den enda som saknar samband. Korrelationen är dock för svag för att kunna säga att den kan hjälpa till att förutsäga rörelser i aktiekursen. Samtliga valutor har ingen korrelation med det utländska ägandet. Därför går det inte heller att med hjälp av valutorna förutsäga förändringar i det utländska ägandet på marknaden. / Background:The stock market is important for companies to raise capital and an opportunity for investors to get returns. Foreign ownership is significant, which increases liquidity but at the same time volatility. Exchange rates affect the stock market, especially for export companies. A weak krona makes Swedish investments more attractive and favors exports. The relationship between exchange rates, the stock market and foreign ownership is important to investors. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate the dynamic relationship between exchange rates, foreign ownership and the Swedish stock market. In addition, it intends to see if it is possible to predict market movements using the exchange rates. Methodology: In this study a quantitative method is used in the form of Pearson's correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis.  Theory: The study is based on the efficient market hypothesis and behavioral finance. Conclusions: It turned out that 4 out of 5 currencies have a significant correlation to OMXSPI, with the Norwegian krone being the only one without correlation. However, the correlation is too weak to say that it can help predict movements in the share price. All currencies have no correlation with foreign ownership. Therefore, it is also not possible to use the currencies to predict changes in foreign ownership in the market.

The chief aim of my thesis is to study and analyse how the multiculturalism of schools is reflected in research and reports in Sweden and in the way in which teachers talk about multicultural issues at school. Part of the work is done in the form of reflecting talks with two groups of teachers in two different schools on issues and situations taken from their own everyday experience. The talks are conducted over two years. One partial aim is therefore to study whether this working method can help teachers to develop their strategies with regard to multicultural issues at school. I describe how the talks develop over two years in an ethnically heterogeneous group of teachers in one of the schools, some areas related to multicultural issues in the school that the teachers find problematic, and how the talks to some extent influence the teachers’ choice of strategies in the school’s practice. Part of the work is an analysis of a talk from each group of teachers and their conceptions of “the immigrant pupil” and her/his parents are focused on. The analytical tool of interpretive repertoires is used to visualise patterns of common points of departure and values in the talks. Also part of the work is an analysis of how research and reports reflect the discourse on multicultural issues from 1980 to 2005. I emphasise some themes and how these change over time. Through the study, parts of the content of the discourse about the multicultural Swedish education are made visible. The discourse contains expressions of a focus on shortcomings and problems that are regarded as linked to pupils, parents and to some extent to teachers with foreign backgrounds. The discourse also contains expressions of seeing differences, chiefly between groups of pupils with foreign and ethnic Swedish backgrounds respectively. By focusing on differences and shortcomings a boundary is at the same time set up between “us” and “them”. The composition of teachers in Swedish schools is relatively homogeneous as regards ethnicity. When, in addition, it is many times teachers that have the responsibility and power to define what are seen as problems and to find solutions in schools’ practice, the problems and solutions are often defined from a majority perspective. It is also from a majority perspective that decisions are made about to what extent, to what degree and in what way minority perspectives should be represented in these contexts. It is a matter of who has the power to define themselves and the others and the others’ shortcomings.

The aim of this thesis is to explore how young adults from ethnic minority backgrounds experience social citizenship and social participation. How do they understand their social rights and duties? What are the possibilities and obstacles for their social participation? Based on the background of different studies in Sweden, that usually focus on conditions in bigger cities, this study discusses social citizenship among ethnic minority youth in the context of a middle-sized Swedish town. In contrast to research on ethnicity and youth in Sweden, that discuss social problems and social exclusion in terms of the deficient cultural, linguistic and social competence of the individuals, this study focuses on different kinds of resources and experiences of agency among young people from migrant backgrounds. Their experiences of active social citizenship and social participation fill also a gap in the contemporary research from the perspective of social inclusion. The theoretical framework is based on the concept of social citizenship as discussed by T. H. Marshall (1950), T. Bottomore (1992) and inspired by research on the subjective dimension of social citizenship conducted by R. Lister (1997, 2003, 2007). In order to grasp the subjective dimension of social citizenship, this thesis deals with differentiated expressions of universal social citizenship in terms of agency and participation in different areas of social life. Using a qualitative approach, seventeen people have been interviewed. The interviews have been analysed from an intersectional perspective where gender, age, marital status and longevity in Sweden appear to be concurrent categories. The results point towards tendencies of enclavisation among these young adults usually articulating experience of weak social bonding in relation to the Swedish majority population. Some informants refer to their expectations of living in bigger cities or a third country, and have plans to move as a strategy for better, more integrated and less discriminated conditions of future life. In sum, the central expectations of the interviewees on the improvement of their social citizenship conditions are the following: They want to be active citizens and are willing to contribute to the development of a more inclusive Swedish society. This thesis contributes to our current understanding of how young adults from ethnic minority backgrounds, experience social citizenship and social participation within the areas of: housing, education, labour-market, leisure and policy. / Denna rapport handlar om hur unga kvinnor och män med utländsk bakgrund i en medelstor svensk stad upplever social delaktighet. I fokus står vardagslivets sociala medborgarskap och hur människor förstår sina sociala rättigheter och skyldigheter och på vilket sätt detta påverkar deras medverkan i samhällslivet. Rapporten visar att de unga kvinnorna och männen har engagemang och uttrycker ansvarskänsla och vilja till social delaktighet i det svenska samhället. Samtidig upplever de inte alltid ett fullvärdigt socialt medborgarskap på grund av etnisk diskriminering. Helene Jacobson Pettersson är doktorand i socialt arbete vid Institutionen för vårdvetenskap och socialt arbete, Växjö universitet. Hon är anställd som universitetsadjunkt i socialt arbete vid Högskolan i Kalmar. Detta är hennes licentiatavhandling.

<p>I have in this study examined, through qualitative interviews, how adults with foreign background that are pupils in adult education in Sweden, understand the concepts democracy and dictatorship. Their expressed understandings have been compared with their former life experiences as well as with the aim of the social studies to create a qualitative understanding of essential social concepts. My starting point is theories about the adult in leaning processes. It has been assumed that the adult interprets the world much through former life experiences. I have also relied on the idea that having a qualitative, more scientific, understanding of essential subjects is important for the adult as a member of society and participator in the on-going political debate. It should therefore be a central aim for educators in the social subjects within adult education to support a development of more qualified concept understandings among their pupils. In this study I have used the criterions of dr Roland Severin to define a qualified understanding of concepts. Such an understanding includes richness in meaning, structure, general description of cause and relation as well as the capacity to relate to different levels of abstraction. My conclusion is that the pupils in my study have very individual understandings of the concepts, especially the understandings of democracy. Their expressed understandings of dictatorship are in general less rich in meaning. I have found that their understandings are clearly influenced by former life experiences. In comparison to a qualitative understanding of concepts the pupils’ understandings both have strengths and weaknesses. The main strengths in their understandings lies in that they have structure and focus important meanings of the concepts. The pupils can also express their understandings in a concrete manner. The main weaknesses lay in that they lack sufficient meanings of the concepts to give them a exhaustive description. The pupils also tend to give more of concrete and less of general descriptions of the concepts. I have concluded that to support adult pupils in the development of more qualitative, and therefore more useful, social concepts educators should make use of the pupils’ collective experiences. By doing so more meanings of the essential concepts can be revealed and individual experiences can be connected to those of others to create generality in the pupils understandings.</p>