Elevdokumentation, f r ldrainflytande och motst nd i den svenska skolan

Different types of documentation related to pupils in primary and secondary school include what is called Individual Educational Plans. In fact, documentation is more extensive in Sweden than in any other western country today. The aim of this article is to discuss the role of documentation in school. It draws on an ethnographic study with focus on an analysis of Individual Educational Plans and the dialogues connected to these plans. The result shows that documentation is not neutral; rather it is a way of creating reality or, as Foucault puts it, a “production of truth”. Although documentation can be seen as a tool for control, it can also be used as means of resistance. This article therefore seeks to contribute tothe understanding of the role of documentation practices in situationswhere parents and pupils are expected to have substantial influence.