GOVERNING STUDENT PERFORMANCE Internalising transnational policy into Swedish

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to locate and critically discuss discourses of student performance in transnational policy texts. In order to addresses and study the international Common European Framework of Reference in language and language education policy. The intention is to analyse dominant values that are being represented and reproduced nationally through existing policy discourses. Theory: Discourse and textual analysis have shaped the theoretical stance. Using Hall, discursive power relations are analysed as the ability control documents’ setting and language. Fairclough’s discourse analysis theory contributes in understanding and analysing modality of power and Bernstein’s conception of classification and framing of discourses explains how discourses are shaped and re-shaped. Method: This study is a single case study using discourse analysis of policy documents. The study uses Fairclough’s (2003) framework for text analysis framework adopted in order to analyse policy as textual expression of social representations in ordinary talk, implicating that language and text correlate with social agent’s perception, elucidating themes from keyword analysis. Result: International ideologies of ideal student performance aspects have been elucidated as shaping discourse in international policy. The results of this study illustrate how Swedish national directives express three discourse formations present in International CEFR policy. The results also show that recontextualization processes and intertextuality relations are governing aspects that affect national directives through having internalised international ideologies.