Skolans osynliga (men oumbärliga?) arbetskraft – en deskriptiv studie av stöd- och resursfunktioner i svenska högstadieskolor

The number of educational paraprofessionals is increasing in Swedish schools. Despite their growing presence, these support roles have gone largely unnoticed in Swedish educational research. This study addresses this gap by mapping this group through examining the frequency of their deployment, the nature of their professional titles, job duties, job requirements and employment terms using survey data collected in Swedish lower secondary schools. These data were analyzed descriptively to identify potential tendencies and variations in their deployment. The results show that the use of paraprofessional support roles is relatively widespread, with an average of one paraprofessional support staff member for every five teachers. The findings also reveal a heterogeneous and fragmented professional landscape characterized by a wide range of job titles and diverse responsibilities. Moreover, the distribution and use of paraprofessionals differs between public and private lower secondary schools and across socio-economic contexts. Finally, considerations for future research are discussed, highlighting the need for research into how this growing reliance on paraprofessional support staff affects educational outcomes, teacher roles and student support structures in lower secondary schools.