How language constructs reality: constructions of parents in professional literature on problematic school absenteeism : A content and discourse analysis study

Problematic school absenteeism in Sweden has increased in recent years and is a complex social issue, involving several actors, who share legal responsibility for ensuring children's right to education. Parents are one of these actors and are, according to previous research, considered to play an important role in relation to the child's school attendance. The aim of the study is to examine how parents are portrayed and discursively constructed in professional literature, addressing problematic school absenteeism, and how responsibility and power are constructed through language. The study is based on a social constructionist perspective and inspired by the text dimension of Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis, focusing on the analytical tools of modality and transitivity.The empirical data consists of seven Swedish professional books published between the year of 2018 and 2024. To analyse the books, a thematic analysis was used to first identify recurring ways of describing parents. Secondly, a discourse analysis was applied to study how parents, through language, are socially constructed in relation to power and responsibility. Our thematic analysis resulted in four main ways of describing parents: the vulnerable parent in need of support, the parent seen as a possible risk, the responsible parent and the parent free from responsibility. The discourse analysis, on the other hand, shows that parents are consistently given responsibility in relation to children’s school absenteeism, but this responsibility is rarely accompanied by power and influence. Instead, parents are expected to act within the framework and conditions set by professionals. This study highlights how language in professional literature can shape how parents are understood which can affect how parents are addressed and engaged with in social work, related to problematic school absenteeism.