Minding the Gaps: The Politics of Differentiation in Swedish Education from 1842 to the 1960s
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| Title: | Minding the Gaps: The Politics of Differentiation in Swedish Education from 1842 to the 1960s |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Tatiana Mikhaylova (ORCID |
| Source: | Journal of Curriculum Studies. 2024 56(2):160-171. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 12 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Individualized Instruction, Educational Policy, Politics of Education, Achievement Gap, Special Education, Inclusion, Access to Education, Socioeconomic Influences, Cognitive Ability, Educational History, Educational Principles, Educational Change, Intelligence Tests, Intelligence Differences, Educational Objectives |
| Geographic Terms: | Sweden |
| DOI: | 10.1080/00220272.2023.2260456 |
| ISSN: | 0022-0272 1366-5839 |
| Abstract: | The concept of differentiation holds immense significance in education, touching upon aspects like access, inclusion, justice, and equality. However, it is also a complex and elusive notion, which acquires different meanings across historical and cultural contexts. This article explores the shifting reasoning about differentiation in the Swedish educational context. Inspired by Foucault's account of disciplinary power, it conceptualizes differentiation as a technique for marking and addressing gaps between individuals. Drawing on an analysis of governmental and scholarly reports from 1842 to the late 1960s, the article identifies three shifts in the reasoning on differentiation: 1) from differentiation by socioeconomic class as a given factor to the search for scientific?rationales?for differentiation based on?measurement?of intellectual ability, 2) from viewing differences in?intelligence as biologically conditioned?and stable to viewing them as amenable to training and?correction through education, and 3) from a focus on inputs to a focus on outputs. Overall, the article argues that even if the term 'differentiation' itself has been discursively replaced by others, the ideas underlying it--the search for gaps--continue to shape education in Sweden and beyond. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1421853 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | The concept of differentiation holds immense significance in education, touching upon aspects like access, inclusion, justice, and equality. However, it is also a complex and elusive notion, which acquires different meanings across historical and cultural contexts. This article explores the shifting reasoning about differentiation in the Swedish educational context. Inspired by Foucault's account of disciplinary power, it conceptualizes differentiation as a technique for marking and addressing gaps between individuals. Drawing on an analysis of governmental and scholarly reports from 1842 to the late 1960s, the article identifies three shifts in the reasoning on differentiation: 1) from differentiation by socioeconomic class as a given factor to the search for scientific?rationales?for differentiation based on?measurement?of intellectual ability, 2) from viewing differences in?intelligence as biologically conditioned?and stable to viewing them as amenable to training and?correction through education, and 3) from a focus on inputs to a focus on outputs. Overall, the article argues that even if the term 'differentiation' itself has been discursively replaced by others, the ideas underlying it--the search for gaps--continue to shape education in Sweden and beyond. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0022-0272 1366-5839 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/00220272.2023.2260456 |
