Ska man kalla det mångfald? : Bildlärares diskursiva positioneringar om mångfald på högstadiet

This essay is written with a background of interest in diversity in Swedish schools. One purpose of the study was to highlight teachers’ positions on the matter of diversity to better understand the term in their working life. The purpose was also to begin to outline the discourse on diversity that the teachers expressed verbally. A study of the Swedish school agency, Skolverket, was carried out to describe their representations of the term. Semi-structured qualitative interviews with four teachers were carried out to gather reflections and attitudes. The teachers worked at various secondary level schools with students aged 13-16. Empiric evidence was supported with sociocultural theory, postcolonial theory and dissertations from Swedish researchers. Discourse theory served as a basis for analysis. Polarizing views on the term diversity was presented as a result. The Swedish school agency emphasized its importance, while not adequately defining the word. Some interviewed teachers showed conflicting views on the word and were generally unsure about the definition. The essay lead to a number of conclusions, including a focus on the ethnic part of diversity and negative responses from the teachers. Several signs of the discourse on diversity were outlined