Organising special education support in adult education

In municipal adult education (MAE), adults are offered a second chance to complete secondary or upper secondary studies. This article examines how special educational support was organised within MAE in a Swedish municipality, focusing on students’ needs, the learning environment, and the resources available to teachers. It highlights the diverse needs of adult learners and how the physical learning environment interacts with teachers’ interpretations of those needs. Actor-network theory (ANT) serves as the theoretical framework, with the concept of translation guiding the analysis. Semi-structured group interviews with teachers and special educational needs teachers were conducted repeatedly during the first year of a three-year project on special needs education. The findings identify three translations of support: pedagogic group-oriented collegial learning, special educational individual-oriented support, and health promotion in a student health team. The article discusses dilemmas related to who receives support, who provides it, and where it can occur.