Beskrivelse
Abstract: The tradition of independent residential schools (called ‘efterskoler’) is considerable in Denmark (Oettingen, 2011). These schools serve youth aged 14–18 with considerable autonomy over admissions, staffing, curriculum, and pedagogy (The Danish Ministry for Children and Education, 2025a), yet many have chosen to align their curriculum with the official 10th grade. Following recent reforms, the Danish 10th grade will be phased out of the school system by 2030, as a grade culminating in exams. This change forces efterskoler to reimagine their educational offerings, and in this process, the question arises how youth and their parents imagine meaningful schooling – especially given the dearth of research exploring the pedagogical practice and development of efterskoler (Graf & Jensen, 2020).This survey study explores what youth and their parents value in 10th grade as a formative, holistic year bridging lower and upper secondary education in the context of a national development project with 15 efterskoler. Two surveys, one for students and one for parents, were designed, comprising closed and open-ended questions, including on motivations for school choice, preferred subjects and pedagogical approaches, and views on exams. Data were collected in August 2025 from 845 students and 1,089 parents across 12 of the 15 participating schools. Analysis followed an inductive process combining descriptive (De Vaus, 2014) and qualitative analysis (Miles, Huberman, & Saldana, 2014).
Findings in the light of the legal purpose and theory of efterskoler (Oettingen et al. 2011) indicate a strong preference among students for a 10th grade emphasizing community, freedom, and personal development over academic performance and exams. Both groups favored active, student-centered teaching methods, with parents expressing this more strongly. While some students preferred to avoid traditional subjects, others sought greater influence over content and form. A majority in both groups supported an exam-free year.
This study contributes to Nordic educational research by highlighting how youth and parents envision meaningful schooling beyond compulsory grades. It underscores the potential of alternative school forms to address concerns about student well-being and negative effects of educational performance pressure (Jacobsen, 2024; Katznelson et al., 2025). By including both youth and parental perspectives, and schools with and without exams, the study offers nuanced insights into the future of 10th grade in Denmark
| Periode | 4 mar. 2026 |
|---|---|
| Begivenhedstitel | NERA 2026: Courage and Agency in Education for the Present |
| Begivenhedstype | Konference |
| Placering | Aarhus, DanmarkVis på kort |
| Grad af anerkendelse | International |
Emneord
- Børn og unge
- evalueringsdesign