Browsing by Author "Juvonen, Sara"

A connection has been shown between a school's social capital and, on the one hand, their academic performance, and teacher well-being, on the other. A need for skills to develop one's school and occupational community is evident, since working in a school can be taxing, especially for teachers in the early stages of their career. The aim of this thesis is to identify strengths and weaknesses in social capital building (e.g. formation of networks, norms or trust) in a school community. A secondary goal is to take part in the seemingly diverse theoretical discussion around social capital. The thesis' theoretical frame was narrowed down to internal social capital, and it was further developed through organisational social capital research into three dimensions: structural, relational and cognitive. The data consisted of nine (9) staff interviews in an urban school, originally collected for a study focusing on well-functioning local schools (Tolu) in the University of Helsinki. Qualitative content analysis with a theoretical orientation was applied. The data was first organised into thematic categories, after which it was analysed with the help of earlier operationalisation of social capital. Both strengths and weaknesses were found. The main structural strengths were e.g. connectedness to the school area and a shared educational ethos. Weaknesses in this dimension were structural holes and a somewhat exclusive school area, to name some. Relational social capital was supported by explicitly stated policies and open conversation, to name a few, whereas staff commitment to said policies and differing expectations could be seen as challenges. Finally, the cognitive dimension of social capital was built on traditions and an organisational culture promoting staff involvement. This dimension was challenged by changes in faculty and commitment to organisational goals and vision. Norms are essential for the formation of any community, but too strong a norm may become restricting for the actors in a social structure. A balance between norms and flexibility could be beneficial, so that social capital may be seen as a resource rather than restriction.