Berätta om dig själv i skolan : En narrativ studie om mellanstadieelevers identitetskonstruktion och meningsskapande i skolan.

Sammanfattning: The aim of this thesis is to study how self-narratives work as displaying identity construction and meaning making in school. The study draws from a theoretical frame made up by narrative inquiry, the theory of Communities of Practice and Ervin Goffman’s dramaturgical model of role-taking and positioning on the educational scene. The method used is narrative inquiry. In total, 96 sixth grade pupils in four different schools in Sweden, have written a text based on a PowerPoint presentation titled “Tell about yourself in school”. The data is analyzed with an emphasis on the organization and structure of the narrative as well as on its content. The findings reveal that the pupils in the study are active identity constructors and meaning makers when they are given the opportunity to tell about themselves and their experiences in school. These pupils position themselves in their narratives by choosing who they want to be and how they wish to be perceived by others. These roles are thus not solely selected by the narrator itself but are also influenced by the school community with its expectations, culture and social norms. Furthermore, the analyses yielded that pupils currently move within a complex landscape of communities of practice in the school’s context where they are continually compelled to make decisions, take stands and reflect upon their lives. To nurture meaningful relationships with peers and with others in school is viewed by the pupils in the study as the main element for meaning making in school.