Aim: The Swedish educational system consists of parallel types of schools. Besides regular compulsory school and upper secondary school another type of school exists in Sweden, referred to as “särskolan”. This is a special school intended for pupils with intellectual disabilities. The primary aim in this thesis is to increase the knowledge about pupil’s experiences of their everyday life in “särskolan”, with regard to the specific school organizations. The experiences of belonging to “särskolan” and perceptions about their identity- and knowledge development have been studied. Furthermore has the pupil’s preparation and perceived possibilities for adulthood been highlighted.

Method: The schools were selected based on a questionnaire survey which aimed to study the variation that exists regarding the organization of upper secondary special schools. By participant observations and interviews with 14 young women and 12 young men at five different schools, the inside perspective have been focused/studied through an interpretive approach. 

Results: The ongoing analysis of the results indicates that the pupil’s perceive advantages as well as disadvantages belonging to “särskolan”. A majority phrase injustice in the school system and differences can be seen in their experiences derived to a gender perspective.

Conclusions: Conclusions will be announced during the presentation