School Choice for Recently Migrated Students in Stockholm, Sweden

• In Event: Furthering International Perspectives on the Politics of School Choice Policies

Abstract

In Sweden, grade-nine students choose their upper-secondary school. Students compete for school places on the basis of grades and schools compete for enrolment numbers based on specialized programs and school reputation. Recently-migrated students have been identified as lacking preparedness for school choice and therefore having fewer educational opportunities. However, there is little research exploring recently-migrated students’ own experiences and attitudes towards choice. Through interviews, this study explores the information that twenty-six recently-migrated students in Stockholm use to understand their school-choice options and the barriers they face making their choice. The results show that these students are isolated and lacked sources of information to understand school choice leading to a poor understanding of their educational options.

Author

• Brendan Munhall, Stockholm University
  Presenting Author