En gemensam resa eller skilda resor. Talet om k rn mnen i gymnasieskolan 1990-2009

A travel in common or separate travels – policy texts on core subjects in the Swedish upper secondary school 1990 to 2009. In this article eight policy texts from the period of 1990 to 2009 are analyzed with reference to their attention to core subjects on different programs. Questions asked to the texts are: Are students on various programs to receive the same teaching in core subjects? How are the expressed intentions legitimized? Using concepts from Lilie Chouliaraki and Norman Fairclough’s (1999) critical discourse analysis (CDA) and Basil Bernstein’s (2000) concept of classification, it is concluded that during this period a shift takes place in policy, from keeping form and content of core subject teaching on different programs in common, into making a difference in the form and content of core subject teaching on different programs. Furthermore, the legitimization process and consequences of the analyzed discursive drift in policy to the positions of pupils on different programs are discussed.