Browsing by Author "Stenman, Milla-Sofia"

In this study I process preparatory education from the angle of integration. Both preparatory education and integration are topical issues in today’s worldwide and nationwide discussion. Integration to the Finnish society is one of the goals in preparatory education. I examine integrations meaning through research of history, rights and values, citizenship, otherness, social psychological adaption and empowerment. My goal is to understand in this literature survey, why preparatory education is being organized and what is its meaning for integration. According to my study education is the primary means of integrating one to new society. Immigrant who takes part of the society and maintains his or hers mother tongue and the culture of origin, is seen as the ideal of integration. Preparatory education has a great significance in integration, because it is immigrant pupil’s first contact to the Finnish society and school system. My study pointed out some problems, which appear in integration to school and society. A conflict of values, national nationality vision and produce of otherness prevent integration in preparatory education and also in basic education. We should be aware of these factors, even though we couldn’t erase them. Factors which promote integration in preparatory education were empowerment and activity. In preparatory education pupils start to take responsibility for themselves and move away from the passive role. Integration with peers is beneficial, when you take into account the potential social psychological problems. Study showed the challenge in integrations ideal, because it hopes that immigrant maintains his or hers culture inside the foreign culture. Preparatory educations meaning is contradictory, because it seeks to promote pupils own culture, but emphasizes most of all Finnish culture to make sure the transition to basic education. Preparatory educations is based on human rights and it aims to equality, but schools job is in addition to equality also produce differences between pupils.