Browsing by Subject "narrative research"

Tutkielman tavoitteena on analysoida nuorten eteläkorealaisten aikuisten kokemuksia tavoitteiden saavuttamisesta ja saavuttamisen tarpeesta. Näkökulmana käytetään teoriaa kulttuurien ulottuvuuksista ja kulttuurisista arvoista, joiden kautta eri kulttuureja on mahdollista vertailla niiden yksilökeskeisyyden eli individualismin ja yhteisöllisyyden eli kollektivismin kannalta. Tutkimus pyrkii hahmottamaan, miten eteläkorealaiset aikuiset kokevat tavoitteiden saavuttamisen korealaisessa yhteiskunnassa, jonka on kuvailtu asettavan erityisesti nuorten sukupolvien harteille merkittäviä paineita niin opiskelun kuin työelämänkin saralla. Tutkimuksen taustalla ja punaisena lankana kulkee teoria Koreasta maana, jossa kulttuurin individualistiset ja kollektivistiset elementit ovat näkyvillä samanaikaisesti muodostaen monella tapaa uniikin yhtälön perinteisiä konfutselaisia arvoja ja modernia, länsimaalaistunutta elämäntyyliä. Tutkielma esittelee individualismin ja kollektivismin peruskäsitteiden lisäksi juuri korealaiselle kulttuurille erityisiä kollektivismin ja individualismin erityispiirteitä ja pohtii niitä motivaatioteorian ja korealaisen nyky-yhteiskunnan näkökulmasta. Tutkielma ammentaa kulttuurintutkimuksen lisäksi mm. psykologiasta ja yhteiskuntatieteistä, sekä uutisartikkeleista ja sosiaalisesta mediasta, jotka rikastuttavat teoriataustaa ajankohtaisuudellaan ja ihmisläheisyydellään. Varsinaiseksi tutkimusmetodiksi on valittu narratiivinen tutkimus, jonka vahvuus on niin ikään mahdollisuudessa kuulla vastaajia suoraan heidän omien kertomustensa kautta. Narratiivit on koottu sähköisellä kirjoituspyynnöllä, ja sen kautta tarinansa jakoi yhteensä kuusi nuorta korealaista, joiden joukossa on sekä opiskelijoita että jo työelämään siirtyneitä. Sekä kirjoituspyyntö että saadut tarinat on kirjoitettu koreaksi. Narratiivien kautta välittyviä kokemuksia tavoitteiden saavuttamisesta analysoidaan teemoittelun ja kategorisoinnin keinoin. Keskeisiksi teemoiksi kerätyissä narratiiveissa nousevat se, millaisina suorittajina nuoret korealaiset itsensä näkevät, kuinka he kokevat ympäröivän korealaisen yhteiskunnan vaikuttavan tavoitteiden saavuttamiseen, ja millaisia syitä heillä on tavoitteidensa taustalla. Tavoitteiden saavuttaminen on vahvasti osa heidän minuuttaan, ja siinä yhdistyivät niin yhteisölliset periaatteet kuten yhteiskunnan auttaminen, että yksilöllisemmät unelmat ja oman sydämen seuraaminen. Vertautuminen muihin värittää korealaisten saavutuskokemuksia ja esimerkiksi hyvään yliopistoon pääsemistä pidetään tärkeänä etappina ja päämääränä. Samanaikaisesti tavoitteiden saavuttamisen pakollisuus sekä suorituspaineet herättävät lannistusta, jossa heijastuu vahvasti korealaisen yhteiskunnan kilpailuhenkisyys. Tutkielma tuottaa yksityiskohtaista tietoa siitä, kuinka korealaisen yhteiskunnan suorituskeskeisyys heijastuu nuorten aikuisten kokemuksiin heidän tavoitteidensa saavuttamisesta ja myös heidän minäkuvastaan. Myös individualististen ja kollektivististen elementtien yhteenkietoutuminen korealaisessa kulttuurissa tuodaan esiin konkreettisin esimerkein ja sanoin vastaajien omista tarinoista.

This thesis studies the development of proficiency during apprenticeships in the context of tailoring. The research goal of this thesis is to describe, analyze, and interpret, how apprenticeship as an experience manifests in the narrative of tailors and what meanings are assigned to apprenticeship in terms of personal professional development. In the traditional model of apprenticeship, the apprentice assumes the craft culture exemplified by the master – learning is socialization into the surrounding culture (Syrjäläinen, 2003, 35). The research endeavored to describe the multiplicity of this socialization of craft culture, which is why the theoretical starting point was Wenger's (1998, 5) theory of social learning, emphasizing the comprehensiveness of learning and its social, identity-shaping and meaning-producing dimensions. Because the research considers subjective experiences, it is done with a narrative research approach, in which the descriptions and meanings assigned to personal experiences are of interest (Heikkinen, 2018). The narrative research material was gathered during a group interview held with three tailors. The group interview method was selected because the interviewees had many experiences in common: they had all worked in Helsinki under the master tailor Jouni Korhonen at the start of their careers. In the analysis phase themes were identified from the transcribed interview material with two different points of view, in order to acquire both descriptions of apprenticeship as an experience, and of the meanings ascribed to the apprenticeship in terms of personal professional development. The theme identification in this thesis was done by theory driven content analysis. Based on the results apprenticeship can be a rewarding alternative way to learn a profession, if additional knowledge is needed after or studying in school form is not suitable. The results highlight that apprenticeship affords insight into how a professional thinks and acts. During apprenticeship, in addition to actual technique, the apprentice learns about professional identity, relations to the professional community, and what is valuable and meaningful in the profession. The interviewees felt that their apprenticeship was a cornerstone in their professional development‚ from which their professional skills and self-image advanced.

The purpose of this narrative study is to ascertain how kindergarten teachers perceive their pedagogical responsibility in the context of the distributed organization and how they feel their responsibilities have changed expertise in the development of the over time. Changes in the social environment and the shift towards an increasingly distributed organization model in early childhood education are reflected in to need to review and redefine the pedagogical responsibility of the kindergarten teacher. The aim of the study is to define kindergarten teacher's pedagogical responsibility in a postmodern society and to describe its evolution in the wake of the changing nature of the expertise in question of kindergarten teaching. The study analysed views regarding the pedagogical responsibility from the perspective of different teacher generations. The three generations that became apparent from the study were the generation that witnessed the expansion of children's day care outside the home, the experienced early childhood educators, and the latest generation of early childhood educators who are at the beginning of their career. The theoretical framework for the study is formed by research into both kindergarten teacher expertise and distributed organization. The data included eleven (11) kindergarten teacher's diaries. The data was analysed using the methods of structural narrative analysis (Labov 1967) and content analysis. The data acquisition and analysis methods support the objective in narrative research, which is to "give a voice" to the target group of the research. The research findings show that kindergarten teachers have a clear and structured understanding of pedagogical responsibility and the area of its content that falls under their remit. The evolution of pedagogical responsibility is an on going process, affected by personal characteristics as well as societal and particularly early childhood educators at the beginning of their careers felt a lack of confidence in taking pedagogical responsibility in relation to the other members of their team. Kindergarten teachers voiced a wish that directors of day care centers and the organisation would lend their support to their professional development and to carrying out their pedagogical responsibility. The research findings highlighted the importance of pedagogical leadership as a precondition for high-quality early childhood education. The pedagogical responsibility of kindergarten teachers was studied investigated in the present study exclusively in relation to each kindergarten teacher's own team. However, the shift towards shared pedagogical leadership may be deemed a necessary developmental path in the distributed early childhood education organisation.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine Somalis who live in Finland through their memories. These memories are interpreted as subjective experiences emphasizing the significance of the past and religion in these memories. On the other hand, these memories are understood as a part of collective social memory of Somalis. This study also constructs a comparative perspective for practising Islam in Somalia and Finland. The methodological framework is based on theories of social memory, oral history and narrative analysis. The empirical data is collected by interviewing Somalis living in Finland. The interviews were conducted by using the method of half-structured thematic interview. The data consists of seven interviews. The interviewees are in the focus of this study since their experiences are considered as the main sources of information for this study. The empirical data of the study reveals that Somalis have maintained strong relations to Somalia. The relationship to Somalia is mainly constructed on positive memories. Memories from Somalia have acquired a significant role in the lives of the interviewees. Those memories will define their relation to both past and the present. In the context of religious memories, Islam is described as a way of living which provides advice and defines the terms of everyday life. As a part of those religious memories, the transmitting of Islamic and Somali values plays a significant role in the lives of Somalis in Finland. In such transmitting process of the values, the social religious memory has acquired a significant role. In the context of Islam in Finland, the religious education of children is mentioned as one of the most important features of the Islamic faith by the interviewees. In general, the practice of Islam does not create any major problems for the interviewees in Finland. The interviewees describe their practice of Islam quite similar when compared to their religious life in Somalia. The empirical data also points out the fact that the meaning of Islam has not changed after moving to Finland.