“I don’t want just to sit on a chair three hours” – Children’s experiences of daily life in school-age educare in Sweden
Helene Elvstrand*, Lena Boström**
IJREE – International Journal for Research on Extended Education, Issue 2-2025, pp. 98-115
Abstract: The aim of this study is to contribute knowledge about how children themselves experience their daily lives in Swedish School-Age Educare (SAEC) and how these experiences can be understood in terms of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness, which are the components of Antonovsky’s (1987) Sense of Coherence theory. To gain insight into children’s perspectives, a mosaic approach was applied, allowing children to draw and participate in group discussions. The study includes 60 children from five different SAECs. The data is analysed deductively, using the three SOC components as a framework. The results reveal that the components are interconnected and affect one another. Children highlight the importance of having opportunities to play and spend time with friends. In this, teachers play a vital role, not only in providing engaging activities but also in maintaining structure, which helps children make sense of their time at the SAEC. Furthermore, the study finds that strict routines and a lack of influence can lead children to perceive their time at the SAEC as less meaningful, making it difficult to understand why certain things are done in specific ways. By applying SOC theory, the study enhances knowledge of what children consider important, ultimately contributing to a stronger sense of coherence.
Key words: deductive analysis, everyday practices, children’s perspective, school-age educare, sense of coherence
Introduction
Research highlighting children’s experiences is limited, but previous studies have, for example, focused on their perspectives on what they like to in SAEC (Cartmel, et al., 2023; Hurst, 2023; Näpfli & Schweinberger, 2025), participation (Haglund, 2015; Simoncini, et al., 2015), wellbeing (Elvstrand, et al., 2025b), and their descriptions of teachers in SAEC (Lager,
2021).
Given the large number of children enrolled in SAEC in Sweden, it is essential to understand what they perceive as meaningful leisure time. In Sweden, nearly half a million children, 80% of children aged 6–12 years, attend SAEC both before and after school hours, as well as during school holidays (Skolverket, 2025). This makes SAEC a significant environment where children spend a considerable amount of time. SAEC is an integrated part of the Swedish school system and is governed by the national curriculum, in which a specific section, Part 4, explicitly regulates the educational mission of SAEC (Skolverket, 2024).
Over the past decades, a shift has occurred in SAEC, which Gustafsson Nyckel (2024) describes as a transition from a distinctly social pedagogical orientation towards an increasing emphasis on learning and teaching. According to the governing document for SAEC, the concept of teaching is to be understood in a broadened sense, encompassing the interplay between development, learning, and care (Skolverket, 2024). The curriculum highlights a number of specific areas that the SAEC is tasked with addressing, such as language and mathematics. Equally central, however, is its mission to foster democratic values and to support children’s play. Children should therefore, in the SAEC centre, be given opportunities for learning as well as for engaging in meaningful leisure activities.
Furthermore, teaching should be grounded in the children’s interests, needs, and experiences. This implies that children are to be granted substantial agency, not only in shaping the type of teaching they encounter but also in actively participating in the teaching situation itself. Despite the fact that the concept of teaching has been applied to SAEC for over fifteen years, research indicates that its meaning remains difficult to define (Elvstrand et al., 2024), which in turn has implications for the children involved. In other words, there exists a research gap that is important to address.
The overall aim of the study is to contribute to knowledge about children’s everyday lives in SAEC and what they highlight as meaningful to them. Using a deductive analysis, this will be applied to Antonovsky’s theory of Sense of Coherence. The study is based on the following overarching research question:
How can children’s descriptions of their everyday experiences in the SAEC be understood in terms of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness? Given the study’s focus on children’s perspectives regarding meaningful experiences in SAEC, several stakeholders within the educational and child development sectors may benefit from its findings: educational practitioners and SAEC staff, policy makers, teacher education, and guardians.
Previous research
Children’s perspectives on their time in SAEC have been explored by several researchers, each highlighting different aspects. Recurring factors that children identify as important for them both in Swedish and international studies is to experience a sense of meaning and wellbeing include opportunities for participation. Further, they highlight social relationships, voluntariness, and the presence of adults who are engaged and provide both time and space for structured and unstructured activities.
Lager and Gustafsson Nyckel (2022), in a field study, demonstrate how children’s agency is crucial for perceiving their time in SAEC as meaningful. The study provides examples of how children exercise influence in relation to routines, time, and space, and socio-material conditions by acting in ways that allow them, for instance, to create and maintain relationships (e. g. Elvstrand et al., 2025a). When children feel that time lacks meaning, for example, when they have no one to spend time with or nothing to do, the time spent in the SAEC centre may primarily be experienced as waiting to go home (Hurst, 2017). Children’s opportunities for agency and participation must also be understood in relation to the conditions of SAEC, including the physical learning environment and the organisation of time, which enable participation in various ways (Grewell, 2025).
The relational nature of SAEC is also significant. Several studies highlight that children themselves view SAEC as an important place to be with friends (Ackesjö et al., 2024; Elvstrand et al., 2025a, 2025b; Näpfli & Schweinberger, 2025; Simoncini et al., 2015). Play holds a prominent role, with children valuing the opportunity to engage in free play with peers (Elvstrand et al, 2025a; Palsdottir, 2019) and expressing negative feelings when their play is restricted by overly structured activities (Lehto & Eskelinen, 2020) or by the absence of friends (Lago & Elvstrand, 2019).
Furthermore, several studies emphasise voluntariness and freedom of choice as important values for children, particularly in influencing what happens during their time in SAEC, with a focus on the freedom to choose activities (Elvstrand et al., 2018; Hurst, 2020). However, as Hedrén and Hjalmarsson (2025) point out, voluntariness and control are not solely about the freedom to choose activities but also concern the nature of interactions in specific situations, for example, the extent to which children are given opportunities to participate through the interactions that occur between children and staff.
Elvstrand et al (2025b) also show that although children often highlight freedom as a key value, what is perhaps more important is the extent to which they perceive situations as comprehensible, that is, whether they understand why things are done in certain ways in SAEC. Other studies also underscore the importance of SAEC as a space where children can engage in enjoyable activities (Simoncini, et al., 2015). Jansson and Wallner (2023) show that when children are allowed to use popular cultural expressions in SAEC, these become important tools for identity formation as well as for play and building social relationships.
Although children express a desire to influence how they spend their time in SAEC, the role of adults remains crucial. Ackesjö et al. (2024) stress the importance of SAEC being perceived as an attractive and stimulating environment, were adults, through planned activities, act as key enablers of children’s exploration. Similarly, Näpfli and Schweinberger (2025) highlight the importance of having accessible spaces that support various activities, which enhances children’s well-being, as well as diverse learning environments where children can exercise a sense of ownership over space (Grewell, 2025). Children themselves emphasise the importance of adults being interested and supportive (Cartmel&Hayes, 2016), and of being able to interact with adults who show genuine interest in their perspectives (Lager, 2021).
Theoretical framework
The theoretical foundation of the study is Antonovsky’s theory of Sense of Coherence (SOC), a salutogenic model that focuses on factors promoting health and well-being (Antonovsky, 1987). SOC is conceptualized as a global life orientation comprising three interrelated dimensions: comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness (Eriksson & Mittlemark 2017). These dimensions reflect how individuals perceive their world as structured and understandable, feel equipped to handle challenges, and find life emotionally engaging and worthwhile. The three components are operationalised as follows:
• Comprehensibility (cognitive): The extent to which children perceive their environment as structured, predictable, and understandable. In Swedish School-Age Educare (SAEC), this includes clarity around routines, rules, and expectations.
• Manageability (behavioral): The degree to which children feel they have the internal and external resources to meet everyday demands. This may involve adult support, access to materials, and opportunities to make choices.
• Meaningfulness (motivational): Reflects whether children find their activities emotionally engaging, enjoyable, and personally relevant.
• The three components are closely interconnected. Antonovsky emphasised that although they can be analysed separately, they often function together as a unified whole to generate a sense of coherence. It may be empirically challenging to fully distinguish these dimensions, as they tend to interact within individuals’ experiences of stress and health (Antonovsky, 1987).
Rather than applying SOC as a measurement tool, this study uses it as a qualitative interpretive framework to analyse children’s own descriptions of their experiences in SAEC. This approach aligns with Krause’s (2011) argument that SOC can be cultivated through educational environments that foster self-worth, belonging, and cultural engagement.
SOC has been widely applied in educational research to understand how environments support children’s development ( Jensen et al., 2017). In early childhood education, Eriksson and Lindström (2007) demonstrated that structured routines and emotionally engaging activities—such as thematic play and storytelling—enhance children’s sense of comprehensibility and meaningfulness. Similarly, Krause (2011) emphasised the importance of predictable environments and supportive relationships in fostering SOC among school-aged children, particularly in contexts that promote autonomy and emotional safety.
In the Swedish SAEC-context, Pihlgren (2023) suggests to use SOC to analyse children’s experiences. She highlights that opportunities for choice and participation foster emotional engagement (meaningfulness), while clear routines and adult support enhance children’s sense of structure and capability (comprehensibility and manageability). SOC has also been used to explore the role of teacher-student relationships. Sagy and Antonovsky (2000) found that students who perceive their teachers as supportive and understanding are more likely to experience school as a coherent and meaningful environment. The SOC framework has demonstrated cross-cultural validity and has been applied in over 48 countries and 49 languages (Eriksson & Mittelmark, 2017). Its multidimensional nature makes it particularly suitable for analyzing complex educational environments, such as SAEC, where children’s experiences are shaped by both structured pedagogical goals and informal social interaction.
* Linköping University, [email protected]
** Mid Sweden University
* * *
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