Peer-reviewed article

Human Rights Education as Democratic Education

Lotta Brantefors, Britt Tellgren, Nina Thelander · 21 Nov 2019

Abstract

This article examines the teaching traditions of children’s human rights in four levels of education in Swedish early childhood education and school by drawing on a three-year long didactic (Didaktik) research project on the teaching and learning of human rights. The purpose of the article is threefold. First, the aims, content and methods used in the teaching of the four levels are compiled. Second, the main characteristics of the observed teaching are analysed. Third, the question of why rights are taught is examined using Roberts’ concept of curriculum emphases (1982). The article identifies the aims, content and methods used within each level of education and the main characteristics of the teaching of human rights and shows that the teaching of human rights often consists of the content themes interaction and the life conditions of others. When further analysed, the main conclusion is that the teaching tradition of human rights is strongly rooted in the fundamental and democratic values on which Swedish education is based (Education Act, 2010) – a democratic curriculum emphasis.