Worldwide, there is today a clash between on learners’ regard on attending school and doing schoolwork, and on teachers’ regard on pupils’ schoolwork that partly can be attributed to the digitalization and Generation Z’s sharing culture. In the last two Swedish curricula for compulsory school, it is stated that the pupils should learn to write texts individually. However they should learn to write texts together with others, too, and also learn to revise classmates’ texts (Swedish National Agency for Education, 2011; 2022). In spite of this, there are no guidelines for the teachers if, and in such case how, these co-written texts are to be assessed or graded. This presentation will focus on how teachers at a Swedish municipal lower secondary school reflect on the results from a previous study carried out at their school and their everyday teaching experience. The results from the previous study showed a complex system of how pupils used digital technology to assist classmates with schoolwork out of the teachers’ supervision in order to enhance their grades. The pupils’ informal interaction with peers was called “Backstage pedagogy”(Rönn, 2023a) and showed how the pupils, their last two years of compulsory school, relied on informal social networks with classmates to take shortcuts with schoolwork (e.g. Rönn 2022; 2023b; Rönn & Pettersson, 2023). Examples of these shortcuts without the teachers’ awareness was that more high achieving peers logged in on friends’ Google classroom accounts, both inside and outside school, and wrote original texts for them or made comprehensive revision of the texts. These texts were later handed in to the teachers as individual achievements for grading. Other examples were that more high achieving pupils received requests from classmates to forward pictures of their completed individual writing assignments to them – so they could modify the text and hand it in to the teachers as their own achievement. Yet another example was that leaked National tests, which had leaked from other schools nationwide, were shared on the class Snapchat group so the pupils in the class could practice before the due test day. By applying these strategies the pupils sidestepped the grading system on both a local and national level. The previous study was based on observations, audio-visual recordings, and semi-structured interviews with pupils in a class their last year of compulsory school (aged 14-16) and had a very strong pupils’ perspective. The results have been reported back to the teachers at the school after the pupils left compulsory school.  In an up following study the teachers are to be interviewed to give their perspective on the pupils’ “Backstage pedagogy”.  

Goffman’s (1959/1990) theatre metaphor of interaction in social life was used as a theoretical tool for the analysis; backstage is where social interaction takes place to improve the desired impression given to others, e.g. an “audience” frontstage. The concept backstage (backstage pedagogy) is used to describe the pupils’ interaction with peers out of the teachers’ awareness in order to improve their grades – and teachers are regarded as the audience frontstage who see a touched-up version of some of the pupils assignments and achievements.

The aim of this study is to explore and describe the teachers’ regard on the pupils’ informal social strategies to enhance their grades at their school.

Interviews with the teachers will be conducted.

The research questions are:

1. How has the awareness of pupils’ strategies in assisting peers “backstage” out of the teachers’ supervision in order to improve their grades changed the teachers regard on teaching and learning?
2. What are their regard on other kinds of assistance with writing assignments, such as parents’ involvement and AI?

The study will be based on interviews with teachers at a Swedish municipal lower secondary school (all interviews are not yet conducted). At a previous study at the same school, an ethnographic study was carried out where one class was in focus (Rönn, 2023a). That study had a strong pupils’ perspective, and the focus of the study was how pupils assist peers with schoolwork without the teachers’ awareness. Observations from lessons and breaks at the school during several months and video-recordings from the classroom during lessons were conducted when the pupils were in 8th grade. The following year, when the pupils were in 9the grade, the last year of compulsory school 18 semi-structured interviews with pupils were conducted. Approximately 50% of the pupils at the school have a foreign background and originated from Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. In order to gain the pupils’ confidence, a strategic choice was initially made not to spend much time with the teachers at the school. Once the pupils had left school, the results were reported back to the teachers and the head teacher, and they were devastated by the findings and strategies the pupils used to assist peers without the teachers’ awareness in order to enhance their grades. However the teachers have been interested in the findings and how these alter their regard on their every day work as teachers. In this study, the focus is on the teachers: What changes have they made in their way of teaching? This presentation will be based on semi-structured interviews with teachers at the school, both “old” teachers who have been working there since the previous study was conducted – as well as with “new” teachers who have started to work at the school after the data collection for the first study had finished. Thus, the focus changes from the pupils “backstage” to the teachers “frontstage”. This change of perspectives will add to a more comprehensive picture of the effects of curricula in education in general as well as of the strong focus on assessing, grading and measurable results in compulsory school. The interviews with the teachers will be recorded, transcribed and analyzed. The teachers will be asked to give their informed consent, and the study will be in line with the General Data Protection Regulation.

The first study has lead to changes; the teachers rely more on handwritten and oral assignments now and less on digital technology, and they insist that all writing assignments shall be carried out during lessons and they have inspired teachers at other schools in the municipality to change their ways of teaching (e.g. Rönn, 2025, forthcoming). While relying on Backstage Pedagogy, many pupils do not show their (own) weaknesses to their teachers and as a consequence they hinder the teachers from seeing their needs - which can lead to more elevated grades. This year digital national tests starts to be implemented, which give fewer opportunities for the pupils to get access to (and practice on) leaked tests beforehand. The teachers tell that more pupils than ever ask what will happen if they do not attend the national tests. Preventing pupils from writing assignments at home has resulted in problems with the pupils’ parents at other schools in another part of the municipality where the guardians have higher educational level; the parents complain because they are no longer allowed to help their children with their writing their assignments. This illustrates another perspective of pupils’ “backstage” that teachers have to relate to. The presentation is of interest for everyone working in educational settings where learners can be assisted by others (parents, siblings, classmates, friends and AI) in order to improve their grades without the teachers’ awareness. Pupils who do not do their reading, reflecting, and writing themselves enter a vicious circle that is difficult to break/leave. If pupils start to rely on others to assist them in compulsory school, the need for further assistance in upper secondary school and higher education will probably increase/follow. This may lead to problems related to development of knowledge, academic integrity – and what future citizens are fostered.

Goffman, E. (1959/1990). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Penguin. Rönn, C. (2025). Curriculum dilemmas: How can teachers foster pupils’ ability to collaborate and compete in the Swedish education system? In S. Sivasubramaniam & I. Glendinning (Eds.), Ethics and Integrity in Educational Contexts. Springer. (Forthcoming) Rönn, C. (2023a). Backstage pedagogy: Compulsory school pupils’ informal social strategies when dealing with formal individual writing assignments for assessment. Linnaeus University Press. Växjö. https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-125604 Rönn, C. (2023b). Students’ social strategies in responding to leaked National tests at a Swedish municipal compulsory school. Cogent Education, 10(2). Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2253711 Rönn, C. (2022). Pupil’s informal social strategies in a Swedish compulsory school – What pupils do and say, out of sight of the teachers, while managing written individual assignments. Educational Review. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2022.2054955 Rönn, C., & Pettersson, D. (2023). Swedish students’ everyday school life and teachers’ assessment dilemmas: peer strategies for ameliorating schoolwork for assessment. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability. Advance online publication. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11092-022-09400-3 Swedish National Agency for Education. (2011). Läroplan för grundskolan, förskoleklassen och fritidshemmet [Curriculum for the Compulsory School, Preschool Class and School-age Educare]. Skolverket. Swedish National Agency for Education. (2022). Läroplan för grundskolan, förskoleklassen och fritidshemmet [Curriculum for the Compulsory School, Preschool Class and School-age Educare]. Skolverket.