Browsing by Subject "syrjintä"

In this research, I will examine the educational pathways of young individuals with se-vere sensory or mobility impairments in Finland, focusing on their transition from educa-tion to the workforce. Interviews with 45 participants born since the early 1980s indicate four key struggles: 1) the fight for inclusion in mainstream education, 2) the struggle for accessible learning environments, 3) combating discrimination and ableism in educa-tional settings, and 4) integration into the labor market. These struggles highlight em-bedded ableism in the education system and society, perpetuating the belief that disa-bled people are less capable or valuable. Until the early 2000s, the existence of a net-work of special schools emphasised the choice of school enrolment, with parents play-ing a crucial role in choosing the path. Since the dismantling of the special school sys-tem, people with severe sensory and mobility impairments are more likely to be educat-ed in mainstream education, so the struggles have shifted to the later stages of the ed-ucational pathway. This has meant that disabled people themselves have become key players, alongside parents. At the same time, the difference in educational pathways be-tween disabled people with a disability before the start of the school years and disabled people with a disability later in life has diminished.

The topic of my thesis is the social construction of reality in Finnish children's literature. In my dissertation, I am looking for an answer to what kind of reality is constructed in Finnish children's literature. Literature is an important part of education. As society changes, it is necessary to examine what kind of reality is built in children's literature, because children's books are the part of children's reality. Children's books are a mirror where children reflect themselves and the world around them. The values, norms and attitudes that appear in literature are transmitted to the child and how the child builds a picture of reality through books. The Finnish education system has been criticized for the favoring of middle-class and white children. There is also too little diversity in Finnish education materials. The first step to appreciate and understand diversity is to become aware of the phenomena associated with it. For this reason, in my thesis I have examined the values, norms and attitudes of the most popular and newest children's books.  The theoretical framework of my dissertation is divided into two parts. I examine the research material from the perspective of social constructionism and intersectionality. In the theoretical framework, I focus on examining the language used in the material as a factor that constructs and shapes reality. From the point of view of an intersectional approach, I look at different social groups and their attention in children's books. My material consists of eight Finnish children's books, which have been selected as material according to two different principles. Four of the children's books have been selected from among the most quoted children's books of 2021. The other four books have been selected as part of the material based on their year of publication, as the thesis had an imperative to pay attention to the newest children's books as well. There are three research questions. In the first research question, I am looking for an answer to what kind of reality is constructed in the books from the point of values, norms and attitudes. In the second question, I study whether there are factors that promotes equality. In the third research question, I am searching for what kind of racism appears in the books. I divided the material into two main entities, through which reality was constructed. They are called discourses of values, norms and attitudes that differ from traditional ones and traditional values, norms and attitudes. These two entities contain a total of 15 discourses, which turned out to be relevant for the topic of my research.  The results of my thesis show that although there are more factors supporting equality in children's literature than before, the presence of diversity is low. Instead of diversity, the whiteness norm prevailed in the majority of the books. For this reason, based on the results, children belonging to the PoC (People of Color) group or other minorities do not have enough identification in my thesis literature. With the help of observed discourses, educators and teachers can in the future choose anti-racist children's books as books to read, which promote equality and prevent racism. As a whole, the thesis provides important information about the values, norms and attitudes prevailing in Finnish children's literature. Through them, educators and teachers can utilize better the power of social change hidden in children's books.