Browsing by Author "Jolkkonen, Tytti"

The aim of the study was to look at who was involved in the Helsingin Sanomat's debate on the segregation process in Finnish comprehensive schools and what kind of institutional positions they were talking from. In addition, this study explores the main themes and views of the debate. Previously, there has been limited research in this area, which should be considered as an important topic for Finnish education and needs to be understood. The theoretical basis of this study contains the examination of the development of Finnish school policy and how the Finnish school system has formed during the past decades. The existing research data related to the school segregation has also been taken into account. The data consisted of 52 articles from Helsingin Sanomat newspaper. The articles were published during the period 2005-2014 and all of them were dealing with the School segregation process. The research method was qualitative content analysis, which was supported by calculating essential factors from the research data. The research showed that the debate on the segregation process in Finnish comprehensive schools was divided into eight different themes: reasons for the segregation process of schools, free school choice, where school segregation is reflected, proponents of neighbourhood school principle, perspective of educational equality, what has already been done to prevent the segregation process, what should be done to prevent the segregation process and where schools inequality leads to if nothing is done. The most common theme was what should be done to prevent the school segregation process and it was mainly the researchers and the officials of the school administration that participated in the discussion. Politicians, headmasters and teachers were also involved in the debate, however, ordinary citizens and parents were conspicuous by their absence. Helsingin Sanomat appeared to take a fairly active part in the debate but the primary aim of the newspaper seemed to have been to offer a discussion forum to third parties.