In 2025, a new legislative amendment mandated that all Swedish municipalities collaborate on the development and coordination of upper secondary education. This mandate was introduced in response to growing demands for more efficient resource management, and to meet the labor market's need for specialized skills. This study aims to describe and analyze how teachers perceive their own roles and opportunities within a Swedish upper secondary school federation, considering this new legislation.The study employed semi-structured interviews with four teachers from three of Kalmarsunds gymnasieförbunds upper secondary schools. Drawing upon Michel Lipsky's concept of "street-level bureaucracy," the study provides insights into teachers' experiences of being part of a large upper secondary school federation with diverse schools. The findings indicate that teachers enjoy significant autonomy within their profession and that the federation does not attempt to micromanage their daily work.Teachers' primary interaction with the federation occurs through its budget allocation for different programs and schools. However, in conjunction with the federation's overarching goals, these budgetary constraints can make achieving specified objectives challenging.The study's findings suggest that teachers within the federation perceive their roles and opportunities primarily within the context of their respective schools and classrooms. While they acknowledge the federation's overall influence, they do not view it as a significant factor in their daily work practices. This autonomy aligns with Lipsky's concept of street-level bureaucracy, where frontline workers exercise discretion in implementing policies and regulations.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:lnu-129900 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Lindén, Kevin |
| Publisher | Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för statsvetenskap (ST) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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