Preliminary results of this study of the preconditions for pedagogical change in Swedish schools indicate that national curricular emphases have changed, but that accompanying changes in teaching methods may conceal wide variation in content and import. The study's objective was to identify the factors conducive or hostile to change in the instructional, nonadministrative activities of Sweden's nine-year comprehensive schools. The investigators had first to define which changes to study and, second, to identify preconditions for change, such as the national curriculum, teaching materials, school organization, and teachers' perceptions. Through research on historical government documents they charted the changing official views on education and, through empirical research in middle-level classes and in one senior-level school, they discovered whether officially-desired changes were taking place. Official curricular goals have changed markedly from the 1940s, moving to an emphasis on "invisible pedagogics" with looser guidelines and much greater focus on pupils' interests, experiences, and development. Changes mandated by the national curriculum in teaching methods, class organization, content, and teaching materials have taken place, but still allow wide variation in subjects studied, resources used, and depth of study. (RW)