Övergångens osynliga karta: en studie av diskursen om övergången från mellanstadiet till högstadiet

Abstract in English

This is a thesis about the transition from primary to lower secondary school in the Swedish context. Previous research has shown that this transition can affect both students’ academic outcomes and their well-being. Discourses on transitions is one of several factors identified as shaping students’ transition experience. The aim of this thesis is therefore to make visible and analyse the discourse on the transition from primary to lower secondary school in policy and teachers’ speech, as well as discussing the potential effects produced by this discourse. This is achieved through discourse analysis inspired by Bacchi and Foucault—focusing on representations of the transition as a school phenomenon, representations of students and teachers, and the presupposi­tions and other discourses that make these representations possible. The empirical material includes policy documents on national and local level as well as interviews with teachers individually and in focus groups. The results show three representations of the transition, partially overlapping and used in parallel: transition as change(s); transition as a process (of activities); and transition as transmission (of information). Both students and teachers are represented differently across these representations of the transition.

The ambiguity of the representations and competing ideals surrounding the transition creates uncertainty within the discourse, which risks generating difficulties in cooperation between teachers and inequality in students’ experiences. Within the discourse, students are positioned against a norm of not needing support, which directs attention to deviations from that norm. This attention may enable support to individuals already identified as in need of support but, it may also place students at risk of negative labelling. Teachers are not positioned as central actors in the transition, despite that all aspects of their work are affected. They are represented as competent, while at the same time their professionalism and credibility are questioned.

The results suggest that a broadened understanding—one that includes more than what is considered “beyond” ordinary school activities—may shift attention towards the transition as a central part of a coherent compulsory school, with the potential to support both students’ progress towards curriculum goals and their ability to manage future life changes.