Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan, GIH

According to the cultural sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, gaining access to a social space or a position within a social space requires a specific capital. For teachers, this is normally indicated by a valid teaching certificate with relevant subject knowledge. However, when no qualified teachers are available, which is the case for the subject of school sports in Sweden, other assets gain recognition. Drawing on Bourdieu's conceptual framework, this paper examined the conditions for school sports in Sweden, and based on questionnaires answered by 109 teachers, explored the competencies, education and backgrounds teachers in upper secondary school sports possess. The paper address the question: what valuable resources are required to become a teacher of school sports and gain recognition as symbolic capital? The results show that while school sports in Sweden are carried out through a school subject and thus regulated by the government, it is influenced by both the fields of education and sport. Furthermore, the questionnaire results show that a majority of the teachers are employed as coaches instead of teachers and that less than half of them (45%) have a teacher education background, while 95% have a coaching education background. However, the results also show that teachers assessed their competencies for teaching school sports as high, especially with regard to competencies in specific sport skills. In conclusion, this paper shows how coaching education and experience in competitive sports are an important resource required to become a teacher in school sports and is thus recognized as symbolic capital. Therefore, school sports cannot be viewed as a legitimate part of the field of education but can be viewed as a part of the field of sport.

This thesis aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the Swedish school sports system, a system which has evolved since the beginning of the 1970s, the prevalence of which has increased significantly at all school levels since the mid-1990s and today attracts a large number of pupils and teachers.

Starting with the neoliberal discourse which has had a major impact on the development of the Swedish school system, and inspired by Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical framework, the reasons for the emergence of the school sports system and the reasons why schools chose to specialise in sport is described. Also examined are the pupils and teachers involved and the mechanics behind their participation.

Empirically, this thesis is based on registry data, telephone interviews with principals at schools offering school sports and questionnaires responses from pupils and teachers involved in school sports.

The results of the thesis suggest that the main reason school sports has become so common is closely connected to increased competition on the local school market; by offering school sports, schools have found a possible way to attract more pupils. Furthermore, the results show that the social characteristics of pupils who have been selected or have chosen to participate in school sports differs from the national population of pupils and participants in sports clubs. This suggests that the available supply of school sports is better adapted to some pupils’ social backgrounds and habitus. In relation to the teachers involved, the results show that other resources than what is normally required to become a teacher is valued in school sports. Instead of a teacher certificate, a coaching education and experiences in competitive sport is valued highly which suggests that this is recognised as symbolic capital for teachers in school sports.

In conclusion this thesis demonstrates that school sports is influenced by both the fields of education and sport, and that the increased supply of school sports has implications for both fields.

Since the late 1980s, the Swedish education system has undergone major changes that resulted in the school system being decentralised, market adjusted, and privatised. This has created local, quasi-markets in which there is a constant struggle for pupils. During the same period, the presence of school sports has increased significantly. The aim of this paper is to elucidate the reasons why schools have chosen to specialise in sports and to determine what makes sports so viable for schools. As an empirical foundation for the study, telephone interviews with principals at 50 selected schools offering school sports were conducted. The results show that the principals experienced increased competition in the local school market, and following Bourdieu's concept of capital, that school sports fill an important need for schools because they bring different forms of important and necessary capital. Furthermore, school sports are valuable due to the diversity and the various meanings and values that society associates with sports. This article shows that a side effect of the market adaptation of the Swedish school system is that school sports have evolved into a marketing product for recruiting pupils.

Under 2000-talet ökade antalet individer som undervisade i ämnet specialidrott i gymnasieskolan, detta som en direkt följda av det markant ökade antalet elever som läste ämnet. Men vilken kompetens och utbildning har de som undervisar i ämnet? Med utgångspunkter i Bourdieus kultursociologiska teorier krävs det ett specifikt innehav av kapital för att få tillträde till ett område eller befattning. Inom skolans värld skulle man kunna förvänta sig att det kapital som krävs för att kunna verka som lärare framförallt utgörs av en lärarexamen med relevanta ämneskunskaper. I SFS (2011:326) och SFS (1993:100) specificeras de formella kraven för en lärarexamen som i sin tur krävs för att vara behörig att undervisa i gymnasieskolan. Det finns däremot ämnen som det inte finns någon lärarutbildning i, ex. specialidrott. Detta paper behandlar vilka former av kapital det är som blir värdefulla när inte de formella kraven går att uppnå.

Syftet med detta paper är att belysa vilken bakgrund och vilka tillgångar de som undervisar i specialidrott innehar. Teoretiskt stödjer sig analysen främst på Bourdiues begrepp kapital.

Det empiriska underlaget består av enkätsvar från 109 individer som undervisar i specialidrott vid tio strategiskt utvalda idrottsutbildningar, fem riksidrottsgymnasier och fem gymnasieskolor. Materialet samlades in genom den nationella utvärderingen av specialidrott 2008/09.

En majoritet av de som undervisar i specialidrott utgörs av män och få har en utländsk bakgrund. Ungefär 70% av de som undervisar har någon form av universitets- eller högskoleutbildning, varav 45% har lärarutbildning (28% i idrott och hälsa). I jämförelse har 95% någon form av tränarutbildning, främst från idrottens egna utbildningssystem, men också från olika högskolor. Lärarnas självuppskattade kompetens är hög, främst inom de specifika idrotterna, men även inom olika teoretiska idrottskunskaper. Lägre kompetens upplever sig lärarna ha inom betygsättning och bedömning. Möjligen unikt för gruppen är att endast ungefär hälften av lärarna har den specifika skolan som arbetsgivare, resterande är anställda av en idrottsorganisation.

Det har under en period inte funnits någon reguljär lärarutbildning inom ämnet specialidrott i Sverige, detta visar sig genom resultatet att endast en minoritet av ”lärarna” i studien innehar en lärarexamen. Istället verkar det värdefullaste kapitalet bestå av tränarutbildningar och ett tydligt habitus med smak för specifika idrotter. Att det inom ämnet specialidrott är andra former av kapital som är värdefulla jämfört med traditionella ämnen, kan få effekter för ämnets status i skolan och påverka undervisningens likvärdighet. Genom den senaste gymnasiereformen har kravet på lärarlegitimation införts för att man ska kunna vara verksam som lärare inom skolan. Specialidrott är däremot tillsvidare undantaget detta krav då ämnet är kategoriserat som ett yrkesämne, men detta kan komma att förändras beroende av utfallet av skolverkets konsekvensutredning.

The Swedish sports model has traditionally meant that schools are responsible for all children's and young people's physical education, while the sports movement is responsible for the voluntary training and competition in sport. In recent years, this model seems to have changed since schools increasingly offers training in sports during the school day,school sport. This article describes the development of the Swedish school sport system in relation to major school reforms during the last three decades; reforms that have meant that the school system has been decentralized and market-adapted. This article also argues that sport under the period has gained a new meaning for schools. The main conclusions are that societal changes have enabled the sports movement an increased influence on school sport and that the Swedish sports model has changed. In particular, the ideological distinction between school physical education and voluntary competitive sport has been challenged.

Since the late 1980s, the Swedish education system has undergone major changes that resulted in the school system being decentralized, market adjusted, and privatized. This has resulted in the creation of local school markets where there is a constant struggle for pupils. During the same period, the presence of school sport has increased significantly, and sport’s function within the school system has been diversified. This article aims to elucidate the needs school sport fills in Swedish secondary schools, and what kind of problems school sport is supposed to solve. The article is empirical, and is based on official statistics and official website information from 854 schools and telephone interviews with principals at 50 selected schools offering school sport. The results show that principals value the school sport by itself, its pupils and teachers, since they bring different forms of important and necessary capital to the schools. Furthermore, the principals’ experience increased competition on the local school market, and school sport can be a possible survival strategy for schools. To conclude this article shows that a side effect of the market adaptation of the Swedish school system is that school sport has evolved into a marketing product for recruiting pupils.

Den svenska modellen innebär traditionellt att skolan ansvarar för undervisning i idrottsämnet och föreningarna för idrotten på fritiden. Men i dag går tusentals elever på idrottsgymnasium och var fjärde högstadieskola erbjuder träning på skoltid.