Inkluderingens gränser : När inkludering riskerar leda till exkludering

Sammanfattning

This study examines the significance of language requirments for students opportunities to complete vocational education in health and social care whitin municipal adult education in Sweden and obtain the protected professional title of assistant nurse. The study focuses particulary on the relationship between admission requirments, educational language demands and the lingustic expectations of working life. A qualitative research approach was used combining semi-structured written interviews with five teachers in health and social care education and swedish as a second language, together with quantitative statistics from a swedish muncipality. The result show a clear gap between students language proficiency at admission and the language demands placed on them during education and in professional practice. The absence of explicit language requirements at admission often leads to students being accepted before they have sufficient linguistic skills to fully participate the education. This creates risks of academic difficulties, interruped studies and exlusion from possibility of obtaing the professional title. At the same time the study highligths a tension between inclusion and exlusion where open admission practices may initially appear inclusive but can results in exlusion when students are unable to meet educational and proffesional language requirements. The findings indicate the need for clearer language requirments, stronger language-supportive teaching practices and increased collaboration between vocational teachers and teachers of swedish as a second language in order to create mor equal opportunities for students within vocational adult education.