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Ann Quennerstedt

Position: Professor School/office: School of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences

Email:

Phone: +46 19 303656

Room: F3208

Ann Quennerstedt
Research subject Research environments

About Ann Quennerstedt

Last updated 2021-01-07

Ann Quennerstedt is a Professor of Education at Örebro University in Sweden. She worked as a primary school teacher in Swedish compulsory school between 1993 and 1998. In 1999 she started her doctoral studies in Education, and finished her dissertation (PhD) in 2006 with a thesis titled ‘The municipality – a participant in educational policy?’ 

In 2007 Ann was appointed Senior Lecturer in Education at Örebro University, and shared her time between teaching and researching. In 2009, and continuing until 2013, Ann took up a full time position as Researcher in Education at the university. In 2010 she was appointed Associate Professor, and in 2015 Professor.

Research interests

Ann’s main area of research is children’s rights in education. Her present work centres children’s rights both generally and more specifically concerning meanings of the human right to education. Issues of particular interest are perspectives of the child as a holder of human rights, and the role and responsibility of early childhood education and school for children’s and young people’s human rights. Drawing on own and others work, research interest has lately been particularly directed towards Children's Human Rights Education. Theoretically, Ann uses an approach that combines rights theory, sociology of childhood and the philosophy of education developed by John Dewey. 

Current research

Between 2020-2024 Ann conducts together with Lisa Isenström the project Rights-based school. The project is financed by Unicef Sweden. Ann and Lisa will study and evaluate how schools are affected by introducing Unicef’s school program Rights-based school (the program is called RRSA in UK) and what effects that can be seen in teachers’ and students’ understandings and attitudes. A particular interest is directed to children’s and young people’s influence and participation.

Concluded research

Ann has participated in and lead four larger research projects: 

What about equivalence? 2003-2005.

In the project, the use and role of the concept equivalence (Swedish: likvärdighet) in Swedish education policy was analysed from different perspectives and angles. The project is reported in a number of publications, including Ann’s thesis The municipality – a participant in education policy? The project was funded by the Swedish Research Council and led by Prof. Tomas Englund at Örebro University.

Education as a citizenship right – parents’ right, children’s right, or...? 2006-2008

The project aimed to analyse the increasing tendency to discuss education in terms of rights, and to study the issue of possible tensions between parents’ and children’s rights concerning education. The results are reported in international journals and in a summary project report 2011 (in Swedish). The project was funded by the Swedish Research Council and led by Prof. Tomas Englund at Örebro University.

Children’s rights in education

Through a four-year full-time research position financed by the Swedish Research Council, Ann undertook 2009-2014 the post-doc project Children’s rights in education. The overall aim of the project was to expand knowledge about what the rights of the child mean in education. The project raised questions about the human right to education, as well as questions concerning the rights of the child in and through education. By analysing how our society perceives the “preschool child” and the “pupil” as holders of rights, and what perceptions there are concerning how early childhood centres and schools should act and organise their activities from a perspective of children’s rights, the project has contributed to the body of knowledge on children’s rights in education.

Education as a greenhouse for children’s and young people’s rights

During 2014-2028 Ann led the research project Education as a greenhouse for children’s and young people’s rights. The project was funded by the Swedish Research Council with 6,6 million SEK. With a team of 6 researchers, the project investigated what it means to educate children and young people in relation to human rights. The research interest was in content and pedagogy, directing the attention to how the content and processes of teaching and learning give possibilities or constrain children’s and young people’s growth as holders and practitioners of human rights. The research was conducted through fieldwork in educational practice from pre-school to secondary school. 

Research group

Ann leads the research group ReCEL (Research on Children’s Education and Learning) at Örebro University. Researchers and doctoral students in ReCEL centre around an interest in teaching and learning for younger children, and dedicate their research to formal and information pedagogical practice for children in the age span 0-12 years.

Post-doc visits

Visiting Research Fellow at Children’s Issues Centre, College of Education, University of Otago, New Zealand: 01 October 2008 – 28 April 2009.
Visiting Research Fellow at the School of Education, Australian Catholic University, Brisbane, Australia: 01 November 2011 – 7 December 2011.
Invited research visit at the University of Brighton, United Kingdom, 28 April – 2 May 2014.
Visiting researcher, Queensland university of Technology, Nov-Dec 2018.

Supervision of doctoral students

Jeanette Koskinen, since 2020 (main supervisor)

Helena Yourston, since 2020 (main supervisor)

Linnéa Waldekranz, since 2020 (co-supervisor)

Other

Ann is since 2017 the Link-convenor (lead convenor) for the EERA network Research in Children's Rights in Education. She was co-convenor for the network between 2013-2017.

Since 2019 Ann is Associate Editor for International Journal of Children’s Rights.

Ann leads the International Network on Children's Human Rights Education, which is funded by the Swedish Research Council 2022-2024.

Publications

Articles in journals |  Articles, reviews/surveys |  Books |  Chapters in books |  Collections (editor) |  Conference papers |  Doctoral theses, monographs |  Manuscripts | 

Articles in journals

Articles, reviews/surveys

Books

Chapters in books

Collections (editor)

Conference papers

Doctoral theses, monographs

Manuscripts