Skolefravær – slik elever opplever og erfarer det : En kvalitativ studie om fire ungdommers erfaringer med skolefravær, og deres meninger om hva som skal til for å øke tilstedeværelsen

The subject of this study is school refusal. The purpose is to gain greater insight and knowledge on the topic of school refusal from the students' own experiences, based on the research question: "How do students with school refusal experience their own situation, and what do they think can contribute to increase attendance?".A qualitative method with an inductive design has been used, and data collection has been done using semi-structured interviews. The findings show that school refusal is not experienced as a choice, but as an avoidance of unpleasant situations. The findings also show that young people relate school absence both to conditions within themselves, but also in situations related to school. School refusal started at primary school and gradually increased. A lack of belonging has resulted in a loss of confidenceto make the changes to succeed in attending school every day. Nevertheless,they express a hope and a desire to be able to participate with peers and get an education. The most important person for this to happen is the teacher. They want the teacher to see them, listen to them and be interested in them. Based on this, the teacher can be the one who supports the youth, so that they can gain positive experiences and increase attendance at their own pace. The findings are in line with previous research on school refusal, which emphasizes the importance of the school to facilitate measures that promote attendance. Keywords: Absenteeism, school refusal, truancy, school refusal behavior, self-determination theor