Recurring in discussions with professionals, as well as in media and research (cg. Palla, 2021), are concerns regarding the portrayal of children in need of special support in relation to the struggle for resources in Swedish preschools. Perhaps the expressive constructions of children in need of special support can serve as a means to acquire additional resources. A consequence of such an approach may be that the more "special and expressive needs" are constructed and documented, the greater the opportunities for resource enhancement (cf. Persson & Tallberg Broman, 2019). This prerogativ of interpretation opens up possibilities for what can be articulated in other arenas, such as in application forms for additional resource allocation. Multiple issues arise, relating to values, perceptions of children, and the formation of children's identities in connection with the preschool's role and mission regarding quality education, making this project particularly urgent. The aim is therefore to create knowledge about how children in need of special support are described in preschool special educational resource application forms. The analysis focuses on the preschool's compensatory mission as a differentiering practice (Foucault, 2000), examining how children are described in resource application forms from an intersectional perspective. In this way, it illuminates notions of normality and deviation within the constructed categories of function, gender, and age. The project is conducted through text analysis of collected authentic documents comprising 169 pages concerning 20 children. Using qualitative thematic text analysis (Atkinson & Coffey, 2011; Silverman, 2006) from an intersectional perspective, the content is grouped according to the categories of function, gender, and age, while also revealing any potential intersections among these categories. The project is expected to contribute to both theoretical development and practice-relevant knowledge.

References 

Atkinson, P. & A. Coffey, A. (2011). Analysing Documentary Realities. In Qualitative Research: Issues of Theory, Method and Practice, edited by D. Silverman, 77–92. SAGE. 

Foucault, M. (2000). The subject and power. I J.D. Faubion (Red.). Power: Essential works of Foucault 1054-1984. Volume 3. Penguin books. 

Palla, L. (2021). När barn blir till problem och belastning i svensk förskola: Om behov av särskilt stöd och resurser i ett pressat läge. Pedagogisk forskning i Sverige, 26(4), 7–29.

Persson, S. & Tallberg Broman, I. (2019). Hög sjukfrånvaro och ökad psykisk ohälsa. Malmö stad.

Silverman, D. (2006). Interpreting Qualitative Data: Methods for Analyzing Talk, Text and Interaction. Sage.