Powerful knowledge and the 2022 Swedish social studies curriculum

Abstract In the 21st century, the idea that students should have opportunities to develop powerful knowledge has been influential in educational research. Social realism as an educational philosophy, and a focus on knowledge derived from academic disciplines, have been advanced as an alternative to social constructivism and traditionalism as a basis for the curriculum. Drawing on these three educational philosophies, an analytical framework consisting of three curriculum models was developed: the traditional model, the social constructivist model and the social realist model. This analytical framework was used to identify underlying ideas in the Swedish social studies syllabi for civics, geography, history and religious education in the 2022 curriculum for compulsory school. The history syllabus aligns with social realist model, with a focus on disciplinary knowledge, that is students should understand how historical knowledge is produced and validated. The geography syllabus shows features of the traditional and the social constructivist model in that factual knowledge and students' everyday experiences are emphasised. The civics syllabus shows features of the traditional model, with a focus on subject knowledge. The religious studies syllabus also shows features of the traditional model with a focus on canonical knowledge, but also emphasises disciplinary knowledge that align with the social realist model.