Skolk ur elevernas och skolans perspektiv: En intervju- och dokumentstudie

The research was carried out at two secondary schools (13-16 ages), built on ninety truant students in a municipality of about 30.000 in the south of Sweden. The dissertation uses a systems theoretical frame where the school is an open social system affected by internal and external forces. The aim of this dissertation is to find what system forces are gravitating the truant students to participation in school work and what system forces are repelling the students away from school. In the analysis school system is viewed from a salutogenes (health promoting ) point of view where social relationships are the basis for psycho social health and well-being. Through a school document study, an interview study of students themselves and one of school staff the different system forces are identified and analyzed.

When too many system forces draw the students in the direction away from school, the school system becomes inbalanced. The synergetic effect of several system forces, which draw the students in the same direction away from school are: unclear documentations, staff´s attitude, few relationships to adults, indistinct instructions for the students, lack of challenges and expectations and even the school climate. In addition, system forces coming from the outside of the school system such as friends also draw students away from school.

The results showed that the school documentation was neither systematic nor followed up, the students had no connections to their school except the three students called “The Winners” who after adult support returned to their school. Nobody but one of fifteen students had good relations to teachers and other students. School, especially the lessons, were boreing for the group “The Unchallanged”. For the group “The Losers” was noted a lot of different kinds of support the last school years, but not all of the supports were perceived positively. The students in this group had learning difficulties. Not all of the students had an Individual Educational Plan (IEP). Though many of the students failed the national test in at least one subject, some had no support. The attitude to truant youth expressed by school staff contained negative attributes although some school staff expressed positive attributes and did a good work to help the student in the classroom. The school staff predominantly considered the young people’s difficulties as pertaining to them individually.

Based on the results of the studies follow a discussion about truancy as a social problem and how this social problem could be treated through a change on system level aimed at coordinating systems forces pulling students towards school based on the synergetic effect of the school climate/school ethos focusing on salutogenesis and well-being.

Since we say that school is a reflection of society, the results may have relevance also to other systems outside the school system, where the boundaries of exclusion may be crucial for the people who are included.