Skolbarn av sin tid : En studie av skolbarns upplevelse av tid

The aim of this thesis is to describe pupils experiences of objective and subjective time, and whether there is a conflict between these experiences. Theoretical assumptions are based on several disciplinary time-concepts and interests of knowledge. There are three frames of interpretation for analysing and interpretating the empirical material that consist of essays written by schoolchildren and also some ethnographical data from classrooms. My research perspective is embedded in a hermeneutic tradition and from the schoolchildren's point of view. My findings show that children describe an ontological dimension of both objective and subjective time, but also an epistemological dimension; how and where they learn about these two different time aspects. There are eight time lessons pupils have to learn to be considered time-adults. Schoolwork is strongly organised by the clock, but also by conventions about sequential structure, duration, temporal location and rate of recurrence. In spite of this time socialisation at school, pupils articulate experiences about subjective time with sometimes strong emphasis. It is often opposed to a objective time-aspect as a meeting or sometimes conflict. This conflict is difficult to handle. In the empirical material there is also an existential dimension of time to be found. Some children fight for temporal autonomy and are searching for time for reflection, parents, friends and task-orientation. There are also findings about a "third and human time", described by the French philosopher Paul Ricouer. Some children, usually girls, reflect about how their lived and mortal lifetime meets an endless and cosmic time of the calendar