Sweden has long promoted the ideal of “a school for all” (Gadler, 2011), foregrounding student influence, participation, and rights. Swedish research on student voice and inclusion reflects this orientation across fields such as language and literacy education, inclusive and special education, mathematics education, digital learning, early childhood education, and educational practice. Rather than focusing primarily on policy or structures, this body of research emphasizes students’ lived experiences of participation, belonging, engagement, and agency. Student voice is conceptualized in diverse but interconnected ways. In language and literacy education, it is examined through linguistic and dialogic practices such as evaluative language, metaphors, and role-taking. Across disciplines, inclusion is framed as a relational and participatory process grounded in equity and belonging (Roos, 2023; Gardesten & Palmér, 2025). Theoretical frameworks are interdisciplinary, drawing on dialogic theory, systemic functional linguistics, genre theory, democratic and political theory, discourse theory, phenomenology, and participation-oriented models. Methodologically, studies employ qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods, often using participatory approaches that position students as co-constructors of knowledge (Gardesten & Palmér, 2025). Key findings show that dialogic, creative, and multimodal practices enhance students’ participation, agency, and engagement in learning (Söderberg et al., 2024). In mathematics and inclusive classrooms, participation is shaped by ideological, structural, and subject-specific conditions, highlighting the importance of teachers’ relational and didactic competence (Roos, 2023; Gardesten & Palmér, 2025). In early childhood education, tools such as cameras and photo documentation make children’s perspectives visible and support belonging and social inclusion (Elvstrand et al., 2025). Overall, Swedish research demonstrates that inclusion is not merely a structural or policy-driven goal but is continuously produced through students’ experiences. Attending to student voice is essential for identifying barriers, fostering equitable participation, and sustaining democratic educational practices. The review calls for transdisciplinary research approaches (Allan et al., 2025) and warns that political and administrative trends risk marginalizing children’s voices.

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