Participation and Existence: The Meaning-making of Adult Students in the Programme of Health and Social Care in Upper Secondary Education

Author(s):

Katarina Lagercrantz All(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

02. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)

Format:

Paper

Session Information

02 SES 04 B, Learning Journeys in the Health Profession

Paper Session

Time:

2014-09-03

09:00-10:30

Room:

B027 Anfiteatro

Chair:

Len Cairns

Contribution

The aim of this paper is to investigate the meaning-making, of the students in upper secondary education, in the programme of health and social care, with questions related to social inclusion and exclusion. My questions concern education in the role of solving social problems and reconfiguration of personal identity. The students in focus are a heterogeneous group regarding age, ethnicity and overall life experiences. Many of the students have been working for several years before education, but need the formal education for getting a proper employment. For others education gives the possibility to get out of unemployment. For the immigrant students the education can be a possibility to participate in the Swedish society. The education as such, is seen as a part of the policies dealing with the concept of lifelong learning and the political issue to promote social inclusion and avoid social exclusion. The goals of education in upper secondary school for adults are described according to the Swedish education act, prescribing to enhance the competence in job assignment, but also to increase the possibility of the personal development and give the individuals possibility to participate in society. When we look back on adult education in Sweden it has historically been two dominant schools of thoughts, on one hand education to promote democratization and social relations and on other hand education for economic growth and individual adaption. Education has during recent years become an institution dominated of economical transactions, with a focus on instrumental knowledge rather than on personal development and strengthened position for the individuals in society. My point of departure in this study, in a hermeneutic perspective, is to focus on how humans get influenced by education with questions about whom the students are and who they will be.

Method

The analytical work is theorized with a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach mainly influenced by the German philosopher Hans George Gadamer, and the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur. Experiencebased phenomenology, as well as the hermeneutic orientations are used in this study to gain deeper understanding of the complexity of the student’s meaning-making, the processes of social inclusion or exclusion and the progress of identity. In accordance to a hermeneutic approach meaning-making is fundamental to human existence, which presupposes being able to share values and language with others to making meaning in life. Meaning that social participation is part of the reconfiguration of identity. The empirical material consists of deep interviews with fifteen students. In my first analysis I have thematised my empirics within the context of a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach according to relations, dialogues, values and recognition.

Expected Outcomes

Expected conclusion/findings: Through the analysis I’m hoping to get both a deeper explanation and understanding of the students process of meaning-making and thereby increase the possibility to understand what aspects that are operating in education in relation to social inclusion and exclusion. There are several studies with focus on questions concerning the outcome of the education in an epistemological approach, but few that focus this explicit kind of students and so, using a hermeneutical approach.

References

Biesta, G. WHY “WHAT WORKS” WON’T WORK: EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE AND THE DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH. Educational Theory Volume 57, issue 1, pages 1-22, February 2007 Biesta, G. (2006). Bortom lärandet Demokratisk utbildning för en mänsklig framtid. Denmark: Studentlitteratur. Billet, Stephen (2008). I Billet, Harteis & Etelapello (red.). Emerging perspective on workplacelearning (pp 1-15). Neteherlands: Sense Publichers Dewey, J. (1966). Democracy and education. A division of Mcmillian Publishing Co, Inc. Dall` Alba G , Barnacle R. An ontological turn for higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 32:6, 679-691Education, 32:6, 679-691Education. Vol. 32, No 6, December 2007, pp. 679-691. Gadamer, H-G.(2006). Truth and Method. Continuum London New York. Kristenssen Uggla Bengt. Who is the Lifelong Learner? Globalization, Lifelong Learning and hermeneutics. Stud Philos Educ (2008) 27:211-226 Ricoeur, P.81976). Interpretation Theory. Forth Worth Christian University press http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/education_training_youth/lifelong_learning/c11097_sv.htm

Author Information

Katarina Lagercrantz All (presenting / submitting)

Stockholms Universitet

Institutionen för pedagogik och didaktik

Stockholm

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