Today, student influence is an important part of the school’s activities and is anchored both in Lgr 11 and the school law. Student influence has gained a larger and more important role thru out the years. Previous research points out that teachers and management at school’s have had difficulties with interpretation and understanding the education plan (curriculum) and to know in which way and how much influence the student should have. The problematic around student influence is that the concept is multifaceted and can be interpreted from different points of view.

The purpose of this essay is to find out how teachers and management at two schools for younger children view of the concept of student influence.

Through qualitative interviews with four teachers, a principal and one development manager in two schools, I noticed that the view of student influence has changed since earlier research in the matter. The Informants had no longer difficulties to interpret the education plan (curriculum), or understand what student influence is all about. Instead they talked about the benefits of student influence for the pupil’s own learning. However, they argued that in order for pupils to have real influence, pupils in the younger ages must first learn what influence is all about. The question then becomes if the younger pupils can’t have influence and which view the teachers then have on the pupils.