Dear Reader,
As I reflect on this issue of Educare, I am struck by how education today stands at a crossroads. Digitalisation, migration, sustainability, the tension between pedagogical needs and institutional constraints, and the ethical dilemmas posed by new technologies are not abstract forces; they shape the classrooms we teach in, the policies we navigate, and the futures we imagine for our students.
Against this backdrop, this issue brings together eleven contributions; ten research articles and one position paper, seven in Swedish and four in English. These articles address the above-mentioned challenges from different angles: classroom practice, policy, professional identity, and philosophical inquiry.
You will encounter studies that probe the passions and contradictions behind reading promotion in Sweden, reveal the invisible yet indispensable work of paraprofessionals, and unpack the “paradox of conditional flexibility” in adult distance education. Other contributions explore how teachers and students navigate language, identity, and sexuality in the curriculum, or how sustainability and health can be embedded in early education through food literacy. One paper even asks what children’s encounters with educational robots reveal about their existential meaning-making.
Together, these articles raise fundamental questions: Is education about fostering reading cultures? Supporting learners’ voices in multiple languages? Preparing teachers to address sensitive social issues? Creating space for ethical dialogue in a world increasingly mediated by technology? Or is it indeed a combination of all of these aims?
Here is a thematic preview of this issue:
Reading promotion and cultural ideals - Magnus Persson and Elin Sundström Sjödin examine the values and contradictions that shape literacy advocacy in Sweden.
The invisible workforce - Per Lindqvist, Helena Ackesjö, and Jeffrey Casely-Hayford map the growing role of paraprofessionals in Swedish schools and its implications for equity and professionalism.
Argumentative writing in adult education - Hanna Sandgaard-Ekdahl shows how genre-based pedagogy can empower second-language learners.
Teaching identity and sexuality - Anna Davidsson explores how teacher education grapples with new curricular goals on sensitive topics.
Public health and early childhood - Anna Westberg Broström and Helena Bergström analyze how policy discourses frame sexuality and professional roles.
Speaking Spanish in Swedish schools - Fredrika Nyström identifies didactic dilemmas and strategies for engagement in foreign language teaching.
Life chances and low achievement - Stefan Johansson and Alli Klapp trace the widening gap in labour market outcomes for low-achieving students.
Inclusive guidance for migrants - Fredrik Hertzberg examines how career counselors balance ideals and institutional constraints.
Food education for sustainability - Louise Hård, Päivi Palojoki, and Christel Larsson highlight co-design strategies for integrating food literacy in early schooling.
Flexibility in adult distance learning - Anna Åkerfeldt, Enni Paul, and Stefan Hrastinski critique the gap between policy rhetoric and classroom realities.
Children, robots, and meaning-making - Liza Haglund and Jale Aldemir call for dialogue on the existential dimensions of educational robotics.
This issue is a reminder that education is not only about transmitting knowledge; it is about shaping conditions for equity, agency, and meaning in uncertain times. Education is never merely mechanical or procedural: it is relational, value-laden, and politically situated. I hope these contributions spark your curiosity, challenge your assumptions, and inspire dialogue and action.
Happy reading from Educare!
Trevlig läsning här från Educare!