Examensarbetets syfte är att studera hur pedagoger framställer barn i kvalitetsrapporter och utvecklingssamtalsunderlag, som riktar sig till externa aktörer, vårdnadshavare och politiker. I mitt arbete har jag utgått från tre övergripande frågor. På vilket sätt synliggörs barn i doku- menten? Hur synliggörs det enskilda barnet i dokumenten? Vilka kompetenser lyfter pedago- ger fram i dokumenten för att beskriva barn? Jag valde att göra en kvalitativ textanalys och mitt material består av två förskolors kvalitetsrapporter och utvecklingssamtalsunderlag. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten är social konstruktivistisk, det vill säga språket ligger i fokus vad gäller det analytiska redskapet.Resultatet i detta examensarbete visar att barn generellt beskrivs utifrån en positiv bild. Bar- nen framställs i dokumenten som barn i en homogen grupp som anpassas till en kollektiv för- väntning. Barnen konstrueras i två kategorier, barn som är i ständigt lärande och utveckling samt barn som är delaktiga och inflytelserika i verksamhetens arbete. En svårighet som blir tydlig i dokumenten är möjligheten att bemöta det enskilda barnet som inte har formats till det som förväntas av förskolans kollektiv. Det som också visas i resultatet är att det enskilda bar- net beskrivs utifrån åldersrelaterade kategorier. Den kollektiva idén är central vid formningen av förskolans verksamhet, som begränsar pedagogerna för enskilda lösningar. De allra yngsta barnen framställs generellt utifrån personliga egenskaper, beteende och känslor de visar på förskolan, medan de äldre barnen framställs utifrån kompetenser som pedagogerna förknippar till kompetenser som föreskrivs i förskolans läroplan. Examensarbetet visar också att det är svårt att läsa av den enskilda pedagogens barnsyn, eftersom pedagogerna förhåller sig till läroplanens intentioner, mål och riktlinjer.

AbstractHeléne Slivka (2013). Kvalitetsarbete ur ett specialpedagogiskt perspektiv– en fallstudie.(Quality assurance process in the elementary school from a special education perspective – a case study.)The researchThis essay investigates the language in the school´s quality assurance documents. An important aspect of this is the way in which language structures and informs how we think about, and work with, students with special needs.AimThe aim of this essay is to problematize how students with special needs are represented in the quality assurance documents of the school. The writer intends to point out how the ways in which the language used to describe students informs governing processes. The research questions are: How are the governing techniques being described in relation to students with special needs? What kind of knowledge and rationalities underpin these techniques? How do these approaches influence how students are perceived?Theoretical frameThis study puts the written texts of quality assurance documents in a social context. In order to do so, the writer is inspired by Fairclough´s critical discourse analysis where text is analyzed in a wider social context. Like Andreasson (2007) and Lutz (2009), the writer combines discourse analysis with Foucault´s governmentality concept which focuses on ways of governing. By considering these theories the writer hopes to learn more about what informs and directs the way we write and talk about students with special needs.MethodThis enquiry is carried out as a case study where the quality assurance documents from one school during the years 2003-2013 constitute the empirical evidence. The writer carried out an analysis of the text on three levels: the text itself, the discursive practice and the social practice. In order to investigate governing patterns concerning students with special needs in the documents, an analytical matrix was constructed. The matrix was inspired by Lutz (2009) and is based on Foucault´s governmentality concept.ResultThe result shows the quality assurance documents place an emphasis on the student´s reading ability. Substantial parts of the texts concern different kinds of screening materials which contribute to the categorizing of the students. There is also a prescriptive tendency in the documents, where students are measured and compared against certain standard. The result also shows that the expectancy of the student´s capacity to self-governing is based on a general societal norm.Conclusion and implementationAndreasson (2007) examines Individual Educational Plans and shows how words can affect how children`s identities are constructed. This study also deals with documentation but instead of individual plans it is focused on the quality assurance documents of the school. The study illuminates the power that principals and teachers have in describing students in these documents. The study intends to raise awareness to the potency of the written word in this context.Key words: discourse analysis, elementary school, governmentality, quality assurance documents, special education, special needs.

The Swedish preschool combines both education and care from a holistic point of view. This makes it even harder for both parents and the educators to make an objective evaluation on their own preschool. In Sweden we are proud to have one of the world’s best preschools. It is regulated by the government and is obligated to undertake critical evaluation from the state and the parents that are the consumers of these services. I have chosen to look closer on how these quality reports are made and how they are used by the preschool. Is it even possible to make such evaluations based on so very different ideas on quality as a concept? What is con-sidered good quality from the parent’s point of view and what do the government mean with good quality? In my investigation I interviewed parents and asked them on this subject. In this report I will present the result of these interviews. I have looked at previous researches on this subject and my results gave a picture of miscommunication between the parents, the state and the preschool. The parents are valuing good care in a safe environment by engaged teachers in the preschools. The state and the preschools mostly focus on the quality of the children’s edu-cation and how the preschool´s work with the values that the curriculum stipulates.