Browsing by Author "Lyytikäinen, Pauliina"

Education has different kinds of functions. Schools have a role in passing values, knowledge and qualification. Schools should also support students improve their civic and critical thinking. Finland has the objective of having half of its 25-34-year-olds holding a higher education degree by 2030. Improving the level of education of the population has contributed to the rise in the productivity of labour and economic. In my thesis, I am interested in how the upper secondary schools, their educational and social purpose, are seen in the public writings. I want to find out What people write about when writing about upper secondary school. The research material consists of 79 digital Opinion Pieces published by Helsingin Sanomat, the largest newspaper in Finland. I also examine what kind of rhetorical methods writers use when they demand either change or permanence of upper secondary schools. The analysis shows that students experience a lot of stress because of all the changes they are going through. Reforms have been done in higher education student selection in Finland which sets a new kind of pressure for students` choices and it challenges their curriculum planning. This reform can mediate students` schoolwork and enjoyable study choices. Reforms affect what kind of study choices students make, and these choices can impact the quality of teaching. Opinion pieces articulate that there is a need for a more peaceful learning and teaching environment in upper secondary schools. Concerning educational reforms, it seems that there is a need for advanced co-operation with political decision-makers and upper secondary school teachers and students.