Student Influence and Participation for Grades 1-3 : Teachers’ Experiences of Promoting Democratic Citizenship

The purpose of this study is to investigate how teachers work in grades 1–3, create conditions for students’ participation and influence in school education. The study explores teachers’ experiences and perceptions of promoting student agency in education and more specifically, which methods are used and what opportunities and challenges are perceived to exist. Research shows that student influence and participation in teaching are significant factors in developing democratic competence and encouraging engagement in democratic society. This makes it particularly relevant to gain a deeper understanding of how teachers work to promote inclusive and participatory teaching practices, with a focus on social studies. The study was conducted using a qualitative research method, specifically semi-structured interviews. Six practicing teachers participated in the study, and everyone is currently teaching civics in grade 1–3. The theoretical framework is based on Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and John Dewey’s pragmatism. These theories, along with previous research, were used to analyze and discuss the participants’ responses.The results show that teachers have an important role in fostering democratic citizens. Promoting student influence and participation is seen as a key factor in achieving the school’s democratic mission. Teachers identified both opportunities and challenges in this work. Communicative methods were described as beneficial in both social studies and other subjects when they support active student engagement. However, teachers found it somewhat difficult to address social studies as a standalone subject in the lower grades, as it often overlaps with other subjects. A key challenge identified in the results is that teachers feel they lack concrete tools for implementing student participation and influence in practice. This highlights a need to further develop the curriculum sections related to student participation and agency, as these are currently perceived as vague and unclear.