Browsing by Author "Alanne, Henna Maria"

The purpose of this study was to describe the status of preschool education and preschool teachers as a part of the unified comprehensive education. The goal of the study was to examine how a discourse between preschool education and teaching is generated within a school form, in which students from preschool to the ninth grade study in the same school building. The study revealed some of the prerequisites for such discourse, based on the statements of preschool teachers working in aforesaid schools. Previous studies suggest that preschool education is still finding its place between early childhood education and the school world, despite the recent demands of upholding the integrity and continuance of a consistent syllabus and by making preschool education obligatory to all children. In this study, the actualization of a unified comprehensive education from the standpoint of preschool education is examined via such dimensions as judicial-administrative and pedagogic arguments, as well as those relating to school premises. The study was constructed in 2016 using methods of qualitative attitude survey, in which three preschool teachers working in a unified comprehensive school were interviewed. These preschool teachers were given claims based on a theoretical framework, which they had to argue. The analysis of this study was based on these arguments. The method of analysis used was the Foucauldian discourse analysis, in which the focus is on authority, institutional power relations and subordination. The results showed that the argumentations of these three preschool teachers widely conveyed their experiences of the preschool education under the school administration. The different dimensions of these arguments all intertwined, relaying the discourse between preschool education and teaching within the schools. The argumentations of the teachers relayed a strong commitment towards the school system. This commitment was based on good resources, opportunities to improve one's professional proficiency as well as pleasant working hours. Preschool teachers' high appreciation towards pedagogical competence and university-level education of kindergarten teachers also proved significant to this study. These results clearly express the power relations in the fields of early childhood education and school education.