Understanding Widening Participation : Teacher Perceptions and Policy Implications at Lund University
Engström, Lisa LU
; Severinsson, Emma
LU
and Lundin, Karin
LU
(2025)
In Högre utbildning
15(3).
p.9-24
- Abstract
- Since 2002, Swedish higher education institutions have been mandated by the Higher Education Act to actively promote widening participation. However, there is no national definition of widening participation, leaving each institution to define its own objectives. This article investigates how teachers at Lund University in Sweden understand and implement widening participation, examining their perceptions in relation to the university’s policy documents. The analysis shows a tension between Lund University’s policies of widening participation and teachers’ possibilities to work with inclusive education. Individual teachers are given key roles, but they lack resources to handle this responsibility. At the same time, both policies and... (More)
- Since 2002, Swedish higher education institutions have been mandated by the Higher Education Act to actively promote widening participation. However, there is no national definition of widening participation, leaving each institution to define its own objectives. This article investigates how teachers at Lund University in Sweden understand and implement widening participation, examining their perceptions in relation to the university’s policy documents. The analysis shows a tension between Lund University’s policies of widening participation and teachers’ possibilities to work with inclusive education. Individual teachers are given key roles, but they lack resources to handle this responsibility. At the same time, both policies and teachers’ perceptions hold different notions of widening participation, including both a meritocratic perspective focusing on fair access, and a transformative perspective emphasizing social justice and challenging power structures. (Less)
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Since 2002, Swedish higher education institutions have been mandated by the Higher Education Act to actively promote widening participation. However, there is no national definition of widening participation, leaving each institution to define its own objectives. This article investigates how teachers at Lund University in Sweden understand and implement widening participation, examining their perceptions in relation to the university’s policy documents. The analysis shows a tension between Lund University’s policies of widening participation and teachers’ possibilities to work with inclusive education. Individual teachers are given key roles, but they lack resources to handle this responsibility. At the same time, both policies and... (More)
- Since 2002, Swedish higher education institutions have been mandated by the Higher Education Act to actively promote widening participation. However, there is no national definition of widening participation, leaving each institution to define its own objectives. This article investigates how teachers at Lund University in Sweden understand and implement widening participation, examining their perceptions in relation to the university’s policy documents. The analysis shows a tension between Lund University’s policies of widening participation and teachers’ possibilities to work with inclusive education. Individual teachers are given key roles, but they lack resources to handle this responsibility. At the same time, both policies and teachers’ perceptions hold different notions of widening participation, including both a meritocratic perspective focusing on fair access, and a transformative perspective emphasizing social justice and challenging power structures. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/bbe14de2-fc7f-47c4-906b-5e727031db68
- author
- Engström, Lisa
LU
; Severinsson, Emma
LU
and Lundin, Karin
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-12-19
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Inclusive teaching, higher education, universal design for teaching, inclusive teaching, higher education, widening participation
- in
- Högre utbildning
- volume
- 15
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 16 pages
- publisher
- Swednet
- ISSN
- 2000-7558
- DOI
- 10.23865/hu.v15.7245
- project
- Inkluderande undervisning
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- bbe14de2-fc7f-47c4-906b-5e727031db68
- date added to LUP
- 2026-01-04 07:46:48
- date last changed
- 2026-01-09 12:11:44
@article{bbe14de2-fc7f-47c4-906b-5e727031db68,
abstract = {{Since 2002, Swedish higher education institutions have been mandated by the Higher Education Act to actively promote widening participation. However, there is no national definition of widening participation, leaving each institution to define its own objectives. This article investigates how teachers at Lund University in Sweden understand and implement widening participation, examining their perceptions in relation to the university’s policy documents. The analysis shows a tension between Lund University’s policies of widening participation and teachers’ possibilities to work with inclusive education. Individual teachers are given key roles, but they lack resources to handle this responsibility. At the same time, both policies and teachers’ perceptions hold different notions of widening participation, including both a meritocratic perspective focusing on fair access, and a transformative perspective emphasizing social justice and challenging power structures.}},
author = {{Engström, Lisa and Severinsson, Emma and Lundin, Karin}},
issn = {{2000-7558}},
keywords = {{Universal Design for Learning (UDL); Inclusive teaching; higher education; universal design for teaching; inclusive teaching; higher education; widening participation}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{12}},
number = {{3}},
pages = {{9--24}},
publisher = {{Swednet}},
series = {{Högre utbildning}},
title = {{Understanding Widening Participation : Teacher Perceptions and Policy Implications at Lund University}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.23865/hu.v15.7245}},
doi = {{10.23865/hu.v15.7245}},
volume = {{15}},
year = {{2025}},
}