Browsing by Author "Riiheläinen, Sirpa"

This thesis explores the school memories and experiences of people born in the 1920s, who in the 1930s and 1940s went to internat schools for the deaf mute that taught through speaking and writing.Teaching deaf people from 1880s to 1970s has been described as a bleak period of oralism, forcing deaf people to speak, and using sign language was punished. In individual stories, this period has been described in a positive way as a learning place for child without a language. In this Masters Thesis, qualitative methods were used, based on memory history, using themed interview methodology. The research questions were: What was the interviewee’s view of him/herself as a pupil? In what ways did they interact with different people at school? What kind of structural factors existed in school? The individual interviews (N=6) were undertaken using sign language, lasting from 1.5 to 3 hours. The interviews were shot on camera and the interview story was then transcribed. The themes (Annexe 1) were used for gathering memories, and their significance and interpretations. The idea was that memory information, along with individuality, is part of community’s collective and contextual memory. The interview material was analysed through content analysis, classifying different expressions and connecting them in the end to the theoretical concepts. The interviewees’ biographies, experiences, or enjoyment varied. The cultural view of a conscientious, obedient and courteous pupil was congruent. The interactions in school were described as hierarchical, and the school staff was divided into nice and cruel members of the staff. The pupils were divided into obedient and misbehaving pupils. Teaching was done through speaking. Learning to speak was laborious, but knowing how to speak gave esteem to the pupils. The teaching methods consisted of learning by heart, reading out loud, speaking, and writing. When interacting with other children, the pupils learnt signing and communicated through sign language. In their freetime the pupils enjoyed with their friends. They were playing, and exploring the school town, also the places that were forbidden to go.