Browsing by Subject "9.-luokkalainen"

This master’s thesis studies the interviews of young people with majority population and immigrant backgrounds about their education. Special attention has been given to what kind of meaning they give to their family background regarding to secondary education expectations. In earlier studies, the family background has been noticed to guide young people's educational choices based on their inherited educational level as well as on the resources offered by the family (e.g. Myllyniemi & Kiilakoski 2017, Saari 2016, Bourdieu 2011). Especially among students with immigrant background, family has been noticed to associate with educational choices (e.g. Kalalahti et al. 2017, Hyvärinen & Erola 2011). The aim of this thesis is to get new perspectives and topical information about how the family affects the young people's educational choices and how immigration background affects how one speaks about family. The material of this thesis consists of 16 interviews given by 9th-graders, of which eight had immigrant background and eight were part of the majority. The interviews were done originally for the Transitions and educational trajectories of immigrant youth -project. The material was analyzed with theory-driven content analysis. The focus of the analysis was on the meanings given to family background in relation to education and future in young people’s speech. In addition, the possible meanings, which related to immigrant family background, were observed. The resources provided by the family were a significant guiding factor in the educational path of the young. The educational status and the educational-cultural capital of the family shaped the young’s mind about possible educational opportunities. The attitude of the family towards education was seen as an important factor. Especially the parent’s appreciation for education was present among the immigrant youth's educational speeches. The goals of the youth were constructed largely based on the model, attitudes and educational values offered by the family, which young people did not necessarily recognize. Especially young people with immigrant backgrounds seemed to value the importance of the family as part of the education choice. Also, hobbies, working life experiment and interest in a particular field were mentioned in the interviews speeches as guiding factors for the educational choices.