Search

This thesis arises from an in interest in the widespread discourse of dialogue. The specific focus is on the practical use of dialogue in a concrete campaign, which is supposedly dialogic. The examined case is a campaign launched by The Ministry of Integration, which targets parents with an ethnic minority background, and encourages dialogue about ways in which to support their children in the completion of an education. We ask how dialogue is constructed and identify the consequences for parent options with regards to their choice of action within the context. Furthermore, we look at possible ways to improve and develop the case in a more dialogic direction. The empirical data analysed are based on participant observation during six interventions and supplementary interviews with five of the participating parents. In order to conceptualise the communication process and its dialogic character, the thesis draws on dialogic communica-tion theory and social constructionism. With this as the framework, the analysis examines the interrelation of participants and the negotiation and creation of knowledge and identities dur-ing interaction. The main conclusions of the analysis are that in spite of the dialogic intentions, the interven-tions are predominantly characterised by non-dialogic communication. This can be ascribed to the practitioners’ lack of methodological and theoretical knowledge about dialogue, which makes dialogic moments occur only in rare instances and only by chance. Dialogue is ham-pered by three different factors. Firstly, the use of role models is a hindrance for dialogue as it places the participating parents in an unknowing and inferior position. This, in turn, creates a situation in which the parents are expected to learn from the role model instead of engaging actively in common meaning-making. Secondly, dialogue is inhibited by a lack of awareness of the need to facilitate a plurality of different voices along with a simultaneous lack of ac-knowledgement of voices which articulate competing and opposing forms of knowledge. Thirdly, the participating parents’ possibilities for action are limited by the prevalent assump-tion that ethnic minorities are a homogenous group. Based on these findings, the thesis concludes by making concrete suggestions as to how intervention can promote the occurrence of dialogic moments.