“Skolnärvaro, skolfrånvaro och hemmasittande” – ett ämnesdidaktiskt perspektiv

Abstract

Drawing on subject-didactic and Bildung theory, the aim of this licentiate thesis is to investigate how teaching is enacted in relation to problematic school absenteeism in upper primary school, with a particular focus on teachers’ didactical choices and transformations of content. This study takes a subject-didactic perspective on school absenteeism, thereby shifting focus from primarily individual and organisational explanations towards the role of teaching, subject matter and meaning-making in classroom practice. This licentiate thesis consists of two empirical studies conducted within the framework of a practice-oriented research project. The empirical material includes interviews with teachers and classroom observations, especially focused on lessons in history and religious education. These subjects are of particular interest as they offer opportunities to connect teaching to students’ lifeworlds while addressing societal questions. Perspectives from subject-didactic theory and Bildung theory are used to analyse the empirical material, with Bildung understood as students’ opportunities for orientation, understanding and responsibility in relation to the world. The results show that teachers largely select the same overall subject content for students with problematic school absenteeism as for students in general. However, teaching is more often characterised by selection and reduction of content and a focus on basic understanding. Teachers make purposeful transformations of subject matter to create meaningful learning situations. Four transformation principles are identified: Perceived joy and enjoyment, Perceived relevance, Perceived contextualisation and Perceived emancipation, which capture the experiences teachers seek to promote through their transformations of subject content. The transformations involve didactical tensions, e.g. concerning the balance between the subjective and the objective meaningful. The thesis contributes to educational research by developing a subject didactic perspective of school absenteeism, where teaching content and teachers' didactical choices are placed at the centre of the study. It also provides a deeper understanding of how teaching can create conditions for students’ meaning-making and engagement in school.