The medicalization of school failure in France. A contemporary way of labelling pupils with learning difficulties

Abstract

The labeling of students with school difficulties in French primary school can be analyzed as a negotiation between various types of professionals, coming from different backgrounds, and who can hold divergent interests. Among them, health professionals occupy a central position, which leads to a medicalization of school failure. In a context in which teachers are pressured to join families in school decision-making, parents have an increasing role in defining the school problems of their children. This paper intends to analyze how the labeling of children with school problems is negotiated between healthcare professionals, teachers and parents. It also discusses the new school inequalities that occur among parents, according to their ability to move into the complex network of healthcare facilities and providers.