Domination and resistance in school - The Alternative School Day for 'at-risk students': What does it mean for them to be there, and to what extent do they benefit?

ABSTRACT

Alternative School Day (ASD) is a project for adolescents who have difficulties in several areas. Nine pupils (14-16-years-old), their parents and teachers were interviewed during autumn and spring. The pupils attended ASD one day per week. All of them had a working-class background. The study focuses on the school as a middle-class arena, and for pupils with other class background, it represents an 'away ground'. Bourdieu's concepts of cultural capital and habitus, and Giroux's emphasis of individuals as intentional actors, have been used to study domination and resistance in schools. The findings may indicate that there exist both domination and resistance in schools.