Nyanlända immigranter och integration i den svenska skolan : En studie av idéer, tankar och förslag från fyra årtionden

This thesis has examined the view on immigrants and their social integration within the Swedish public school system, as represented by the political scene in different types of parliamentary documents and other kinds of governmental publications, from a historical perspective. This historical view begins at the mid 1970’s, when immigration became more of a permanent reality in the Swedish society than previous times, and continues through the following decades to today’s situation. The theoretical outlook of this work consists of theories related to integration, with a critical approach to specific pedagogical means by which the normative school separates those pupils that it cannot subdue from the so called ordinary education, and the consequences of this system in relation to the democratic values of the public school. An essential part of the theory is made out by Peder Haugs concepts regarding inclusion and exclusionary forms of social integration. The result of the examination shows that the ideas surrounding the integration of the immigrants has been focused on first language, preparational classes and similar solutions, support and compensation, the value of knowledge, cultural diversity/cross-cultural communications and (the Swedish) language. In conclusion, the work has tried to put the results of the examination in a broader social perspective, and discussed preparational classes as concept and organization in relation to the idea of inclusion