Session Information
22 SES 02 B, Policy, Management and Governance in Higher Education
Paper Session
Contribution
This study discusses university education and administrative reforms in recent years from perspective of the media. According to Ministry of Education a high standard of education, the high quality and free education are the basis for the Finnish welfare society. The aim is to secure the place of residence, language and economic status equal access to quality education from early childhood to university. The goal is education and training and raising the level of knowledge so that the education approaches world-class education. (Ministry of Education 2009.)
Research questions are in my study: How the transition in the university is percieved by discourses of the press? How newspapers are written by the reform? What has been written about top university? The press in my research means the daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. The newspapers are also an important part of information technology, because they also publish internet sites. They are also presenting our mainstream media. I take a closer look at newspaper perspective. In my study I am focusing on editorial, other writings in the newspapers and opinions. The discussions of transitions in university are versatile. My main theme is the top university. I also study educational system equity.
Discourse analysis (DA) or discourse studies, is a general term for a number of approaches to analyzing written, spoken or signed language use. My point of view is Michel Foucaut´s idea of discourse analysis. Foucault's concern is not to produce a general theory of discourse. Discourse analysis have constructionist approaches in constructs, but in my study I prefer more use the idea of field theory of Pierre Bourdieu. His theory of different kind of fields is dynamics of power relations in social life. The field means a social arena in which people maneuver and struggle in pursuit of desirable resources. In the field is a setting in which agents and their social positions are located. In this social and hierarchical order there are different kind of rules for example between power and class relations. (Bourdieu 1985.)
The top university plan had a flying start in the leading Finnish newspaper. The top university ideal might have more than powerful economic actors, like hegemonic framing and would be also national interest. In very many articles repeated to implement the top university urgently. (Ridell 2008, 298.)
Generally thinking the transition is as well as an opportunity but also a threat. In many articles are written ongoing transition is a threat Humboldian model vanishing in university world. European Union is very powerful to all countries in Europe concerning the higher education.
The university is changing since the 1990s and it had features of the business world, such as business practices and values. Finnish universities are currently in the national and international one of the best in competition. (Koivula, Rinne and Niukko 2009.)
If we believe in life-long learning, then the education is a value in itself. Many students have found their own place if you own fragmented labor market or consumption-based leisure time does not exist. It is in the name of economic productivity, a term WIN-WIN scenario (win-win), and the workers are able to certain skills and business and professional life in general take advantage of each other. It provides economic benefits, for example, investment in education, which is seen to lead to improve in productivity and prosperity for the benefit of both the individual and the possible future creation. The problem may be that the high level of expertise in the formation does not need to improve all the skills (or training).(Brown, Lauder and Ashton 2011, 12.)
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Beck, Ulrich (1999) What Is Globalization?. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Bourdieu, Pierre (1985)Sosiologian kysymyksiä. Alkuteos: Questions de sociologie, 1980. Suom. J. P. Roos. Tampere: Vastapaino.
Brown, P., Lauder, H. and Ashton, D. (2011) The Global Auction: The Broken Promises of Education, Jobs and Incomes. New York: Oxford University Press.
Castells, Manuel (2009) Power of Identity : Economy, Society, and Culture (2nd Edition) . Wiley-Blackwell, USA.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/uniturku/Doc?id=10355291&ppg=52
Foucault, Michel (1980) Power/Knowledge – Selected Interviews and Other Writings 1972-1977, Edited by Colin Gordon. Harvester Wheatsheaf.
Jokinen Arja, Juhila Kirsi & Suoninen Eero (1999) Diskurssianalyysi liikkeessä. Vuorovaikutus, toimijuus ja kulttuuri empiirisen tutkimuksen haasteina. [Discourse Analysis in Action]. Tampere: Vastapaino.
Kivistö, Kalevi (2007) Journalismi.fi. Journalism. Read 30.7.07
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