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ABSTRACT
The aim of this article is to study how mothers of children with special needs understand themselves in educational contexts. Using the analytical concepts of positional identities and figured worlds, we study the different positionings of mothers as their children transition between different school levels. Data were collected through recursive interviews conducted over one year as part of a small-scale study of mothers with a high level of education. The data used in this article were obtained from an informant’s reflections on her role as the mother of a child with special needs from the time he was in kindergarten to his final year in upper secondary school. Her case history illustrates how her positional identities in educational contexts were linked to mutual trust with the teachers and schools. The absence of trust had a significant impact on her ability to fully support her son’s schooling.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Solveig Roth
Solveig Roth is an associate professor in pedagogics at the University of Stavanger. She has researched on ethnic-minority students’ everyday learning, positionings and educational trajectories. Roth is currently researching how parents engage in their children’s thinking about education.
Ann-Cathrin Faldet
Ann-Cathrin Faldet is an associate professor in special needs pedagogics at Inland University College. She has researched on girls and violence. Faldet is currently researching how parents engage in their children’s thinking about education.