Helena Ackesjö

I am Ph.D. and professor in education at Linnaeus University. My research mainly deals with teachers’ work and conditions, as well as the profession’s encounter with policy. My interest is in education for children in school start age, and the research focuses above all teachers’ work in preschool, preschool class, School-Age EduCare and elementary school, as well as children’s transitions between the various school forms. In my research, children’s perspective is often put at the center, but what is recurring and constant is the professional perspective. I regularly work with assignments from the Swedish National Agency for Education, the School Inspectorate and the Ministry of Education in matters related to my research areas.

I lead the research environment Research on pedagogical professions and practices (PEPP) together with Daniel Alvunger and a research group with interest of research on the School-Age EduCare (FRIP). During 2023-2024 I was director of studies for the postgraduate education in pedagogy.

Teaching

I am mainly involved in courses within the postgraduate education and in supervision of PhD students, but I also teach within the teacher education programs with a focus on work in school-age educare.

Research

Research fundings:

Ackesjö, H., Persson, S. & Lago, L. The preschool class in transition. Consequences of positional shifts in a reformed educational landscape.  The Swedish Research Council, 2018-2021 (5,9 MKR).

Ackesjö, H. & Haglund, B. The educational mission of the School-Age Educare. Ifous, 2019-2022 (2,1 MKR).

Ackesjö, H., Gardesten, J. & Wernholm, M. The School-Age Educare's contribution to student's goal achievement. Ifous, 2023-2026 (3,6 MSKR).

Ackesjö, H., Wernholm, M. & Andersson, R. To promote sustainable teaching in socio-economically disadvantaged areas. AFA, 2025-2028 (2,8 MSKR.)

Lindqvist, P., Nordänger, N., Lundin, M., Ackesjö, H., Gardesten, J. & Fonseca, L. Av- eller be-lastning? Om lärare, lärarassistenter och förhandlingar om professionella avgränsningar.  Projekt finansierat av Forte, 2018-2020 (4,3 MSKR).

Nordänger, U.K., Ackesjö, H. m.fl. Scientific grounds and navigable fairways - practice-developing research in motion. ULF, 2020-2022 (4,4 MSKR).

Øksnes, M. & Trondheims kommun, Ackesjö, H. m.fl. Flexible school start for the good of the children. An innovation project. The Norwegian Research Council, 2020-2024 (12 MNKR).

Lindqvist, P., Ackesjö, H., Gardesten, J., Fonseca, L. & Herrlin, K. The expansion of the school's paraprofessional terrotory - a reorganization of pedagogical actions and relationships? The Swedish Research Council, 2023-2025 (4.3 MSKR).

I am currently leading three research projects:

The project The (un)equal school-age educare is expected to create new knowledge about teachers' work with the school-age educare’s compensatory mission in areas with socio-economic challenges: what contributes to and what possibly risks complicating this mission, which success factors can be identified and how can teachers create conditions for children’s development and learning. The goal is to create new knowledge about the school-age educare’s contribution to a more equal education for children in these areas.

In the R&D project School-age educare’s contribution to students' goal achievement, the purpose is to contribute knowledge about the school-age educare's supplementary and compensatory tasks in addition to formulate scientifically anchored answers about the school-age educare's potential for students' goal achievement. Through the project, we can create a greater understanding of the school-age educare’s function, importance and position in the educational landscape. The project is founded by Ifous, 2023-2026.

The project Promoting sustainable teaching in socio-economically disadvantaged areas is expected to contribute with detailed images of teachers' working situations in vulnerable areas as well as scientific answers to how school leaders can organize for a work environment that promotes good work-related health. The number of reports of serious threats and violence in schools has increased sharply and the most vulnerable, according to national statistics, are teachers in the school-age educare (SAEC). SAEC teachers are thus a particularly vulnerable group, especially in socio-economically vulnerable areas where criminal social movements, threats and violence also risk entering the school area. The project is funded by AFA 2025-2028.

I also participate as a contributing researcher in the project The school's indispensable but invisible workforce – a study of education support personnel, we study the work carried out by so-called support functions in the school, i.e. staff with the task of supporting, relieving or supplementing already established professional groups. This personnel group is large and they appear to be indispensable, but despite this there is surprisingly little knowledge about their work.The project is funded by Swedish Research Council, 2023-2025.

Commissions

I regularly work on assignments from the Swedish National Agency for Education, the Swedish School Inspectorate and the Ministry of Education in matters relating to my research areas.