Conditions shaping students’ roles as policy actors—a study of policy enactment in secondary school music and visual arts education

The article investigates and analyses the conditions that influence how students act as policy actors in secondary schools, an area yet to be fully explored. Applying the framework of policy enactment theory to data produced through classroom observations and statements by teachers and students, it is shown that the roles of students as policy actors vary widely and are closely linked to teachers’ planning and teaching. Openness in art education is also shown to offer a certain degree of freedom in the enactment process, although it can make it challenging for students to decode what is expected of them, leading to different roles as policy actors compared to situations where expectations are clear and students can make their own decisions in the creative process. We argue the roles available to students are ultimately shaped by these interactions through their discursive construction within policy enactment.