As part of a larger project (Bergh 2010, 2011) this article takes it point of departure from the international policy concept quality and, with Sweden as a case, report on national and local implications of different interpretations. By combining speech act theory (Skinner 1988a, 1988b) and conceptual history (Koselleck 2002), there is also a methodological interest to discuss the possibility to study the complex relation between policy work and educational practice. Although those two theories have developed from different roots and in different directions they also share common interests and positions. Both can be understood in relation to an interest in language and history and, in a wider sense, to the so-called linguistic turn (Rorty 1967). While Skinner is mainly interested in the rhetorical use of concepts, Koselleck’s interest lies in investigating how concepts consist of historical time. In this article, some analytical concepts are lifted from these two theories and are applied to the empirical material (criteria of application, performativity, space of experience, horizon of expectation).

As a background the concept of quality is contextualized diachronically and synchronically with a view to understand its conventional use in historical and contemporary time. Its historical use goes back to ancient Greek philosophy and it became a central concept in Japanese industrial production after the World War II. Today, the quality concept has gained a prominent position in many countries and is commonly used in various social contexts. For example, the Lisbon Strategy, in which the EU in 2000 formulated the need for Europe to become “the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world” (Presidency Conclusions, 2000:2), was followed two years later by a detailed work programme whose objectives included “Improving the quality and effectiveness of education…” (Council of the European Union, 2002:15). Quality is thus a central concept in international policy work and as such part of the Europeanisation of education, with influence from trends such as New Public Management, Total Quality Management, accountability and goal and result oriented steering (cf. Biesta 2009; Nóvoa & Lawn 2002; Ozga et al 2011; Segerholm 2009; Wahlström 2010).

The result from the larger project (Bergh 2010, 2011) shows that certain criteria of application, long associated with education in Swedish policy texts, have gradually been challenged and partly marginalised by criteria highlighting results and relating to market and system needs. As a consequence of the linguistic change it can be argued that use of the concept of quality has led to an acceptance of new social perceptions in education. To what extent this change, emerging from an analysis of policy texts, has also had an impact on educational practice is an empirical question of central interest in this article. From this introduction the aim with the article is to highlight if the change noticed at the national policy arena also has an impact at the education that take shape at local arenas. The question asked is: What implications do different interpretations of the quality concept have for teachers´ roles and educational practices? 

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