"Det kommer til å bli veldig vanskelig og utfordrende" : eksamensrelaterte opplevelser blant elever med minoritetsbakgrunn på videregående skole

Abstract

The drop out rates from Norwegian upper secondary schools have been and continue to be a crucial topic in Norwegian society. In these statistics students with minority backgrounds constitute an overrepresented group. This thesis highlights the examination situation as a suitable arena to investigate these students’ school related experiences and how they cope with being a minority student in a Norwegian upper secondary school. Eight students with different minority backgrounds were interviewed primarily about the examination situation using a semi-structured interview. Discursive psychology with positioning theory was used as a methodological approach. The interviews revealed that the informants structure their exam experiences in a narrative manner and that a set of these narratives function as interpretive repertoires framing single events. Especially events related to the exam situation and their future plans. In addition to this the informants express not being able to fully comprehend their second language, Norwegian. Their challenges seem to go unnoticed and they are evaluated on the same grounds as ethnic Norwegian students. I discuss how this and their stories can be related to locus of control, academic goal orientation (learning vs performance), worry (cognitive and emotional) and self-efficacy. I also underline the importance of qualitative research in this field.