Browsing by Subject "korkeakouluhaku"
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(2019)This master’s thesis sets out to examine the reasons behind high school seniors’ choices in application to higher education. Focus of this thesis is directed to seniors’ family history and future goals. Application reform to Finnish higher education takes place during the making of this thesis and therefore the effects of this reform will be also investigated. I utilize theoretical ideas and concepts by Pierre Bourdieu. Earlier studies have shown that social class is connected to consumption of education. I aim to reveal cultural manuscripts, which are connected to application to higher education. I interviewed ten final year students from two high schools from Helsinki. Both high schools demand high grade point averages from their applicants. Qualitative methods and especially analysis of expectations is used in examining the material. As a conclusion, many cultural manuscripts were found to guide seniors in their choices in applying to higher education. Some of them were more obvious to the seniors than others. The pressure by highly educated parents was an easily recognizable storyline, whereas many manuscripts were formed in such a long period of time and were repeated so frequently that they had become invisible and a natural way of life. Cultural manuscripts were formed within the surroundings and communities of the high school seniors. Resources as well as habitus gained from the childhood has helped seniors in their studies. They had gained working routines and adequate skills to cope in the school system, which has made their studies feel pleasant and relatively effortless. Educational institutions have given validation to their habitus and resources, which has driven the students to follow a cultural manuscript of aiming to the highest of educational paths. The experiences of success in school have motivated seniors to keep going and to aim higher. As a result, many potential options are left as non-alternatives to the seniors during application process and correspondingly other options are considered even if they are not appealing to the applicant.
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(2020)This study focuses on Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture’s action plan for a better utilization of the matriculation examination in university selection procedures in the perspective of educational equity. Therefore I am analyzing a Ministry of Education and Culture’s report called Valmiina valintoihin - Ylioppilastutkinnon parempi hyödyntäminen korkeakoulujen opiskelijavalinnoissa (2016:37), which includes the action plan for better utilization of the matriculation examination in the university selection procedures. Before the report went public, it was sent to multiple educational fields experts to comment. In this study I am interested in the comments the experts made about the action plan and the way the action plan for the university selection has proceeded. I am also focusing on the questions of educational equity this action plan raises. This reform has sparked widespread discussions and raised concerns about the growing inequality. The research methods used in this study were thematic analysis and content analysis. I am analyzing the action plan made for better utilization of the matriculation examination in the university selection procedures, and the feedback from the report given by the experts from the educational field. I am also researching the current state of the action plan for higher education. I used content analysis to determine the opinions experts had about the action plan, and then divided them into on behalf-opinions and against-opinions. After that I utilized thematic analysis to point out the main themes which raised up from the comments. Relevant literature was used to support the analysis. As a result I found out that the experts were really concerned about the possible outcomes the action plan for the university selection could raise. The main themes which came up are the selection, the questions regarding college education and the different forms of capitals the individuals have. The experts were also concerned that educational equity may weaken as consequence of the action plan for better utilization of the matriculation examination in university selection. I also found out that our current government is as well concerned about the consequences the action plan may raise and has shown support to strengthen up Finlands higher education. Despite experts concerns the action plan has been launched, and only the time will tell what kind of consequences it has to equity of education in Finland.
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