Teaching at school-age educare in compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disabilities : “It is important that one can participate their own way.”

In this study, we examine how teachers at the school-age educare in compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disabilities reason around recurring activities. Furthermore, we investigate how school-age educare teachers in compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disabilities resonate around these recurring activities in relation to the pupils' interests and individual needs. Our chosen method has been semi-structured interviews, and we have conducted five interviews with school-age educare teachers who work at compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disabilities. One teacher participated through written answers. Previous research regarding teaching in school-age educare by Lundbäck (2022), Ackesjö and Haglund (2021), Lager (2018), and Wernholm (2023) is presented. The analysis is based on John Dewey’s definition of educational goals and his notion of interest. The results show that being present in the room is sometimes considered active participation in activities. Our findings indicate that the curriculum for school-age educare needs to be interpreted and adapted to correspond to the pupils’ abilities. Observations, conversations with guardians, and visual tools are used to examine pupils’ interests. The study highlights the need for further research on teaching at school-age educare in compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disabilities, especially regarding pupils who study subject areas.