Planning for and Experiencing Rural Schools : A Case Study of Two Rural Schools in Sweden

Abstract: Rural schools are facing threats due to global processes such as globalization, urbanization and demographic changes. However, schools have been shown to be significant for rural communities in geographical and social contexts, as they contribute to a sense of place through being hubs for communities, places for relationship building and integration alongside holding and reproducing local identity. Understanding why and how schools as part of rural communities matter can give an insight in how these can be supported by decision makers in future development. Addressing the gap in research regarding the importance of schools to rural communities, this thesis explores the topic by studying the planning perspective and experiences of rural schools. This is done through exploring two research questions ‘How are the municipalities working with and planning for rural schools?’ and ‘How are rural schools experienced by the children and their families?’. Drawing on qualitative semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, the results show that municipalities can plan for rural schools through comprehensive planning and place development initiatives, but that political will steers the work. The results further show that rural schools are experienced through geographical, social and cultural perspectives relating to sense of place, meaning that the values that the school holds for the communities reflect the place. The thesis contributes to the field of human geography in terms of how sense of place and rural schools are connected, and to the field of planning regarding how municipalities can plan for and work with rural schools.