Changing role of the village school in the changing municipality field. Case Finland.

Author(s):

Sami Tantarimäki(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

14. Communities, Families and Schooling in Educational Research

Format:

Paper

Session Information

14 SES 02 A, Schooling in Rural/Urban Settings (Part 2)

Paper Session: continued from 14 SES 01 A

Time:

2014-09-02

15:15-16:45

Room:

B323 Sala de Aulas

Chair:

Cath Gristy

Contribution

”Status quo is not an option”, like Kearns (2009) put it in their work. The ongoing study will focus on preconditions for the living on the Finnish countryside in a phase, where the near services are either preserved, give way or recur.

“Changing role of the village school…” -study (1.1.2013 - 31.10.2014, funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forest) is coordinated by the Brahea Centre at the University of Turku. Other partners are Ruralia Institute (University of Helsinki) and Institute of Migration.

Accumulated experiences, news and studies have brought up the local fates, special characteristics and countermoves of small schools. Most are universal, because of the effects of a population structure, society and ways of life (Tantarimäki 2010; Karlberg-Granlund 2009; Kucerova 2012; Haartsen & Wissen 2012; Irwin & Seasons etc). Rural school research has been concentrated on causes and effects of abolishments, because of remarkable shutdown tempo during the decades: In Finland, nearly 450 small schools have been wound up during the ten last years. Statistically defined small school means under 50 pupil's comprehensive schools (Statistics Finland 2014).

News, and discussions and experiences from the Finnish field have brought up also positive changes met by the small schools. Following findings have aroused the study interest: new village school of Ihastjärvi (Town of Mikkeli), Suttila (new, under construction, Town of Huittinen), Valpperi (new, under planning, Municipality of Nousiainen), Piispanlähde (new comprehensive school, City of Kaarina), refugee children in Pohjaslahti (Town of Mänttä-Vilppula) and in Kiertola (Municipality of Punkalaidun), and traditional village school network in Town of Virrat.

These positive phenomena and woken interests can be grouped as four themes:

Vitality connected to the multiculturalism: why multiculturalism is seen as possibility in rural environment, although the urban experiences are nearly opposite? Simplification: Population loss vs. socio-economic problems, school shopping (e.g. Bernelius 2014; Walker & Clark 2010).
Attraction of a new school building and service concept: why new school buildings are built instead of sealing the school network?
Cooperation of a municipality, schools and villages: what can be reached when designing of the school network will be cooperated instead of dispute? (e.g. Tantarimäki 2011; 2012; 2014; Onescu 2012; Cummings 2007).
Village as a synonym of communality: how the understanding of “village” can change along the changing municipality field? Simplification: consolidation of municipalities creates new rurban cities and towns, especial in Finland.

In a wider perspective aim is to find out how these individual but conscious choices are connected both with the municipal strategies, programs and plans, and to national definitions of rural and education policies. Happening by chance or more target-oriented?

Besides, in Finland multiculturalism is still quite unknown and a minor phenomenon both in rural areas, in rural development and in rural research (e.g. Saartenoja 2009; Heikkilä 2012; Martin 2013; Komulainen 2012). This “novelty” with “newcomers” is seen as a potential resource for the regressive countryside. This study will give a rural school point of view to this urban phenomenon. New school building is also quite a rarity, and it interests how much is thought in advance the whole life cycle, multi-functionality, variability and even mobility of the school building (e.g. Utti 2014; Lytton 2011). Population structure with service needs will change along the time.

Knowledge is still needed so that it will be understood the factors, which lead to the school network spiral with multiplier impacts on teaching and communality. It is a question of supporting the decision-making, so that the overall picture of the municipality will remain, although the municipality, service and population structures might change.

Method

In the multi-science field of rural research this represent geography. Methodologies are action research and evaluation of social effects, because analysis and affecting of the target combines in both. The present study is carried out in the cooperation with the target municipalities, especially with an education sector and local schools and villages. The research methods are - interviews and/or discussion: head of educations in municipality, head of schools, and parents and villagers in multicultural schools - surveys: free/summer time dwellers as a new user group of school building (Ihastjärvi village Town of Mikkeli; Rantanen & Hyyryläinen 2012) - data capture from local strategies, reports, records and minutes Division of labor - Brahea-Centre: coordination and data collection responsible, interviews (head of education), new schools, school network, municipal strategies, rural policy - Institute of migration: multiculturalism part - Ruralia-Institute: free/summer time dwellers, new school and school network (Ihastjärvi village, Town of Mikkeli) + municipal strategies, rural policy Schedule - All interviews and surveys are already done, other background materials also collected, and the final publication will be out by the end of September 2014.

Expected Outcomes

Kearns (et al 2009) criticized how the school closing process seems to be following mostly tactics of one model. The place based development, social environment, the multiformity of the community and alternatives are passed. Typical process in Finland does not make an exception here. Ofcourse, as also shown in our study, the school communities are and can be different. They also are alternatives among themselves. The expectations to the different roles of school buildings are wider in rural than in urban environments. Also mutual relations between services are more sensitive in the countryside. With the reason, it is even more important to understand the meaning of life cycle, versatility and convertibility of the school building in the changing society. The openness and broadmindedness are means to avoid conflicting situations in area developing and municipality marketing. E.g. the school closure always affects how, and to whom, the area can be marketed or developed in the future. Correspondingly, a far-reaching decision to build a new school building or create a profile as a multi-cultural village or municipality has similar effects too. Furthermore, every inhabitant has his/hers own view on the (school) choices which promote the fluency of everyday life. E.g. in Finland the new or multi-cultural village school is so exceptional in its school network, that one can easily suppose these having some push or pull effects in some period. Now the material does not support the assumption, but general optimism is prevailed. The target schools, municipalities and themes in the research transmit the same message, that there are alternatives for promotion the vitality of the countryside and its schools. The multiculturalism, the new school building and/or cooperation (between school, village and municipality) is seen as a surplus value, which promotes communality and social capital. If one only wants.

References

Bernelius, V. 2013. Eriytyvät kaupunkikoulut. Helsingin peruskoulujen oppilaspohjien erot... Helsingin kaupungin tietokeskus, Tutkimuksia 2013:1, 221 s. Cummings, C., Dyson, A., Muijs, D., Papps, I.,Pearson, D., Raffo, C., Tiplady, L., and Todd, L. 2007. Evaluation of the Full Service Extended Schools Initiative: Final Report. https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/RR852.pdf. Haartsen, T. & Van Wissen, L. (2012). Causes and consequences of regional population decline for primary school. Tijdschift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Vol 103:4, 487-496. Heikkilä, E. 2012. Maahanmuuttajien alueellinen sijoittuminen ja maaseutualueiden rooli. Teoksessa: Yhteisöllisyydellä hyvinvointia ja palveluja maaseudulle. Maaseutupolitiikan yhteistyöryhmän julkaisuja 1/2012, 109–117. Irwin, B & Seasons, M (2012). School closure decision making process: problems and prospects. Canadian Journal of Urban Research, Vol 21:2, 45-67. Karlberg-Granlund, G. 2009. Att förstå det stora I det lilla. Byskolan som pedagogik... Åbo Akademis förlag. Åbo. Kearns, R.A., Lewis, N., McCreanor, T. ja Witten, K. 2009. `Status quo is not an option`: Community impacts of school closure in South Taranaki, New Zealand. Journal of Rural Studies 25, 131–140. Komulainen, S. 2012. Porvarillisen idyllin vai pikku-Moskovan lapset? Monikulttuurisuuden vaikutus suomalaisperheiden koulupaikan valintana Turussa. Siirtolaisinstituutti, Tutkimuksia A 39. Kucerova, S., 2012. Promeny uzemni struktury zakladniho skolstvi v Cesku. Edice Geographica, sv 8. Lytton, M (2011). Have all the costs of closing a school been considered? CELE Exhange 2011/8. Martin, A., Mäntylä, M. ja Pakkanen, M. 2013. Maahanmuuttajien kotouttaminen maaseudulle kolmen sektorin yhteistyönä. Vaasan yliopisto Levon-instituutin julkaisuja 136. Oncescu, J & Giles, Audrey R. (2012). Changing relationships: the impacts of a school´s closure on rural families. Leisure/Loisir, Vol 36:2, 107-126. Rantanen, M. ja Hyyryläinen, T. 2012. Vapaa-ajan asukkaiden palvelujen kysynnän ja tarjonnan kohtaaminen Kouvolassa. Teoksessa: Palvelujen saavutettavuus muutoksessa –Raportteja 8, 82–105. Saartenoja, A., Träsk M., Tantarimäki S. ja Mattila M. 2009. Maaseudun maahanmuuttajat. Helsingin yliopiston Ruralia-instituutin raportteja 41. Tantarimäki, S. 2011. Mitä lakkautuksesta opimme? Turun yliopiston koulutus- ja kehittämiskeskus Brahean julkaisuja B:2. Tantarimäki, S. 2012. Kuinka voit kuntaseni? – Kouluratkaisujen vaikutukset kuntaan yhteisönä. Teoksessa: Yhteisöllisyydellä hyvinvointia ja palveluja maaseudulle. Maaseutupolitiikan yhteistyöryhmän julkaisuja 1/2012, 51–65. Tantarimäki, S., Komulainen, S., Rantanen M. ja Heikkilä, E. 2014. Kyläkoulun muuttuva rooli muuttuvassa kuntakentässä. Kasvatus 2/2104. Utti, Jaana 2014. Helpompi arki. Meille kaikille. Lähipalvelukeskus. Koulu kylässä – kylä koulussa -hankkeen julkaisu. Mikkeli. Witten, Karen, McCreanor, Kearns, Robin ja Ramasubramanian, Laxmi (2001). the impacts of a school closure on neighbourhood social cohesion: narratives from Invercargill, New Zealand. Health & Place 7, 307-317.

Author Information

Sami Tantarimäki (presenting / submitting)

University of Turku

Brahea

Turun yliopisto

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