Samarbete runt invandrarelever i skolsvårigheter ochInterkulturella aspekter på det specialpedagogiska uppdraget

The background to this study is built upon the results that emerged from our former study: Elever med svenska som andraspråk i mångkulturella skolor - Bakgrundsfaktorer Tester och Utredningar (Odén och Bagge, 2006). Those results made us aware of the lack of cooperation in the work around immigrant pupils with special needs. In this study we have therefore chosen to look at the cooperation processes. The aim that we agreed upon was to explore the intercultural cooperation process around a few immigrant pupils in school year F-5, before and in connection with the pupils possible registration in the special school. We also wanted to pay special attention to the roll that the special need teachers played. Another aim was to explore the thoughts that headmasters and teachers had about intercultural perspectives on school development/cooperation and the roll of special need teachers according to this. The theoretical frame of this study has a rather broad angel of approaches that in different ways has a relevance for the aim of the study. As a strategy for this research we used cases studies, two schools and four pupils. This strategy made it possible to use both qualitative interviews and documentary studies. Respondents for the study were all involved in the daily schoolwork with the four pupils. The documents that we studied included national school plans down to individual plans. After hermeneutic analysis the results shows serious lack of cooperation around immigrant pupils in special needs. But we also found an awareness about the need of developing skills and competence in intercultural meetings