Browsing by Author "Haapiainen, Sophie-Madeleine"

The subject of this master's thesis is the playing with a friend -project in the Special Music Centre Resonaari. The aim is to study the meanings of cooperative learning and volunteering within the playing with the friend -project. The purpose is to define the strengths of the project and to find aspects that affect the autoconcept of persons involved in the project. As a part of the autoconcept, the study aims also at finding identities that are built while participating to the project. The methodological approach of this study is qualitative. The data was gathered using interviews. Four playing pairs were interviewed, that is eight persons altogether. Four of them represented adult volunteers and four Resonaari's pupils with special educational needs. Two parents evaluated also the project. The data was analyzed using a narrative approach that stressed especially turning points in the narration. These changes concerned mainly mentalities towards the project and the pair, learning and one's own identities. Volunteering was meaningful for the volunteers at the beginning to get involved in the playing with the friend -project. Nevertheless, as playing pairs' friendship kept deepening, volunteering was seen less dominating. There was learning in musical and social skills but it wasn't goal-orientated. Thus, cooperative learning made possible sharing music in a relaxed atmosphere and seeing the parter all the time more as a friend. The pairs had built an own acting culture that underlines the importance of the new structure. Friendship creates an open and relaxed atmosphere where trying and learning by mistakes are accepted. At the same time, it enables strong commitment to the other person and to the common task. Learning is a vast study field that offers many further subjects to be investigated. In the mainstream schooling system enhancing good relationships between peers should be taken in account while developing learning strategies.