Att utveckla språkundervisningen tillsammans : En studie av diskurser i en skolutvecklingsprocess

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study is to investigate conceptions that affects the results of school development in order to improve the language used while teaching within all subjects. The approach is a dialogical practitioner-research where the principal studies within her own occupation/school and is driven by a social constructionist framework of knowledge and learning. Laclau & Mouffe´s discourse-theory was used to analyze the articular-practice in eighteen teachers and their principal’s written reflections. The study focus discourses of school-development and second-language-development in relation to the nodal point ”learning”. It also focuses on teachers’ construction of identity within the school. The meaning of conceptions within school-development and second-language-development discourses are analyzed using discourse-theory methods. Conflicting meanings are also highlighted. The prior questions of the study investigates the conceptions of school-development and second-language-development and how they relate to current discourses and to each other. Conceptions that are connected to these discourses are compared with how the role of the teacher is described by the teachers themselves. The study shows an agreement on the necessity of school-development and improvement of language. Boundaries are made against those who don’t agree with school-development-projects. Different approaches are standing side by side within both fields and the role of the teacher are given multiple understandings due to their diverse experiences and framework of teaching. The understanding of the concept “diversity” alter in different fields. The meaning of “safety” varies, the teachers and principal have different thoughts on the idea of what safety is. The study shows a lack of research and science in the teachers written reflections. One implication of the study is that the conception of the role of teachers has to be reconstructed to be able to build a professional-learning-community. Different conceptions about safety has to be highlighted to avoid different understandings that prevents collaborative work between teachers.