Browsing by Subject "nivelvaihe"

The aim of this study was to examine and describe how principles, student counsellors and other school administrators in comprehensive school represent the school paths of immi-grant children in Finland. The aim is to analyse the challenges described by authorities that immigrant students face in the transition between comprehensive school and upper second-ary level, and to contemplate how immigrant backgrounds and class positions are connect-ed to each other. In addition, the aim is to consider how social mobility of immigrants should be improved through different ways of support and guidance. Previous studies show that people with immigration backgrounds are still often excluded from secondary education and especially from high school in Finland. The expansion of compulsory school age obliges every child to move on to the secondary level, but especially with poor Finnish knowledge and weak social and cultural capital it is challenging coping with secondary level studies. In the centre of the theoretical framework of this study are Pierre Bourdieau’s forms of capital. The study was conducted as a qualitative content analysis and the data for the study con-sisted of interviews with eight authorities working in Finnish primary schools with pupils with immigration backgrounds. The data was analyzed and classified by means of thematic con-tent analysis. According to the findings, the challenges of school paths and transitions among students with immigration backgrounds include the extensive lack of cultural and social capital in fami-lies in relation to the context of the Finnish middle-class school system. Furthermore, the views of the families and of the school on realistic school options often differ. The joint appli-cation system does not encourage the student to change school after the first choice and experiment, and therefore people with immigration backgrounds are particularly challenged by choice and unknown educational opportunities. According to the results, Finland does not yet have a clear tailored system for immigrant children who move to Finland and who have passed the primary school age. They are ex-pected a quicker takeover of language and syllabus than other children. In addition, high school education appears to be inaccessible to many people with immigration backgrounds, according to authorities. In vocational training, resources for specific language and integra-tion support are insufficient, leading to the fact that after finishing vocational studies, they are moving to employment with low capacity.

Tiivistelmä - Referat - Abstract The interest towards the subject of the study awakened because the field of student councelling is in major changes in Finland due to the most recent changes in the law enforcement regarding student councelling and transferring information from the basic education to secondary education. In this study that was put into practice as a qualitative research the articulated phase of basic and secondary education is inspected from the perspective of the student counselling of a pupil with special needs and the transfer of information. Six student counsellors of basic education were interviewed for the study with a structured interview. The data of the study consisted of those interviews. The data of the study was analyzed by theming the research results. It was discovered that there is no overestimating the importance of the articulated phase of basic and secondary education. The student counselor of a pupil with special needs requires getting familiar with the individual needs in education of the pupil and getting familiar with questions of the health of the pupil or other aspects in pupil’s life that may affect the choice of vocation. The student counsellors do a lot of multiprofessional cooperation with the special education teachers and student counsellors of secondary education. Pointing out facts regarding to pupil’s education and other aspects that can affect the choice of vocation was important but the student counsellors also pointed out that supporting the student and their self-image was important as well as encouraging the student. The importance of coopetaring with the pupil’s guarding was also brought up in regards of pondering the choice of vocation and also in regards of getting the permission to transfer information. The discoveries of the study also pointed out that the obligation to maintain secrecy complicates transferring information between basic and secondary education and it needs changes. It was discovered in the study that more coherent courses of action are needed in regarding transferring information throughout the whole country of Finland.

Tiivistelmä - Referat – Abstract My master's thesis is part of This Life of Mine research project, which aims at developing life management tools for young people who are struggling with their life choices and decisions concerning postgraduate studies. The project approaches these issues through positive pedagogy, character strength and inclusive education, which may help young people to develop features that help in decision-making regarding their future education and careers. I participated in the first pilot phase of the project and I used action research approach. The project workshops were built on several positive pedagogical solutions, such as inclusive groups, positive experiences and character strength development. My research focuses on the impact that that these positive educational solutions could have on young peoples’ capability to make decisions regarding their lives and careers. The data for my study was collected during the workshops by means of video recording and interviews. My data-driven analysis are conducted with grounded theory and Atlas.ti program. In this thesis, the features that support young person’s decision-making process consist of personal social development domains, educational achievement and lifelong learning domains, as well as career management domains. I focus predominantly on the personal social development domains. Young people’s understanding of their skills and character strengths developed during the course of the workshops. The development started from individual skill recognition, went through character strength specification and ended up with more profound deliberation of the character strengths. During the final days of the workshops, the participants used character strength vocabulary quite fluently in their career thinking processes. The use of character strength terminology developed as its own path and the development of the character strength terminology gave the participants more diversified perspective of their future career decisions. Therefore, the role of character strength terminology should be considered more strongly, when assessing the features that are needed in young people’s decision-making process. In addition, the importance of peers’ influence as a starting point of individuals’ skill and character strength thinking was noticed during the analysis. Therefore, it might be fruitful to develop understanding of the character strength in a peer group.

The targets. The aim of this research was to find out what are the possibilities of flexible basic education to prevent pupils marginalization from education. The focus was in the transition phase where pupils move from comprehensive school to vocational studies. The interest was also in workplace learning and in its possibilities when moving to the next level. Based on previous theory school experiences and the motivation towards school and studying have a great impact on the studies after comprehensive school. If a pupil doesn't enjoy being in school, has a lack of motivation and ganes only poor grades there is a serious risk for dropping out of school. The flexible basic education is planned to prevent this drop out. This research tried to find out what are the means and resources that flexible basic education has to offer to support adolescents in this vulnerable transition phase. The method. The target group of this study were flexible basic education teachers. I gathered the material for the research by interviewing six teachers in semi-structured interviews. I used content analysis when analyzing the material. The findings. The research showed that flexible basic education has great possibilities in supporting the pupils at the end on the comprehensive school. The studying in flexible basic education differs from normal school with its diversity and the holistic support it gives to the pupils. When the adolescents notice they can manage it helps them to cut the circle of negative experiences in school and gain new motivation towards studying. Workplace learning helps them to find out what their own strengths are which is important when deciding the future occupation. Some adolescents have though so severe problems that flexible basic education can't help them from marginalization. Those pupils need something else to support them. It seems though that the flexible basic education offers a good choice for those pupils who are at the risk of drifting towards marginalization from education.

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to look at the character strength vocabulary in three young people’s speech during the workshop period. The study aimed to examine what kind of future planning ideas were given by the young people when they identified their strengths. The basis of the study is the ideology of positive psychology and character strength -based teaching. Previous studies have shown that by recognizing strengths, one can increase self-esteem and positive image of a young person. Especially with students with special needs, it is important to encourage them to look themselves from the point of view of strength rather than focusing on weaknesses. After basic education, a young person in transition period needs information about his or her own strengths in order to make choices about upper secondary school. Methods. This study was a qualitative case study. The cases examined were three young people of high school age. The data was collected by observing and filming the workshops as well as interviewing youngsters in workshops. The data was analysed by thematic analysis and Atlas.ti program. Results and conclusions. The character strength vocabulary increased during the workshop period for all the young. Both peers and adults played an important role in familiarizing the young with the strength language. The instructors verbalized the strengths of the young. Peers pointed out the strengths they noticed. You could identify future planning in the speech of all young. These plans echoed also language of character strengths. The young could identify their strengths and link their strengths to their dream job. Familiarizing young people with the vocabulary of character strengths, can help them to look at themselves from a different perspective during the transition period. In the transition period the young needs support in identifying and verbalizing their own abilities, strengths and interests in order to develop a positive self-perception and high self-esteem.