Browsing by Author "Töyrylä, Marju"

The aim of this study was to analyse how applicants applying for faculty of law and participating in a preparatory course while preparing for the entrance examination speak about the competition connected to the applying. The study focuses on discourses that are built when talking about the competition. The aim was also to study constructed discourses when talking about possibilities of succeeding in the competition in law school admission. Previous studies show that capitals have impact on one's educational choices. One of my aims was to construct understanding of what kind of meanings the cultural, the social and the economic capital get in the process of applying to a law school and participating in a preparatory course. There has been only little research about the role of preparatory courses in admission to higher education. The goal of this study was to fill this research gap and produce researched information about the role of preparatory courses. The qualitative research data consist of interviews with six law school applicants who took part in preparatory courses. The data was collected with a semi-structured interview. One of the interviews was a pair interview and four were individual interviews. The data was analysed with critical discourse-analytical approach The higher education applicants aim to make reasonable education choices when participating in the competition over study positions. The applicants assessed their own position and possibilities to succeed in the competition in relation to the other applicants. The preparatory course was constructed as a trump card that applicants could use to succeed in the competition. It was also produced as something that is self-evidently part of applying to law school. On the other hand preparatory course was constructed as something one could use to decrease the uncertainty caused by the competition.Based on the reasonable educational choice -discourse, the self-evidence -discourse, the imaginary competitor -discourse and the trump card -discourse one can argue that cultural, social and economic capital are constructed as meaningful factors in the competition of higher education. They create possibilities and limitations when participating in the competition over study positions in higher education.