The topic: School and identity The central research question: How much does the everyday self, experienced in the school reality, support the efforts toward the development of authentic identity and ideal self? Subquestions: 1) which type of identity defining characteristics is carried in the students’ self-awareness as a direct participant and an actor in the school reality? 2) What type of defining characteristics does present and future image of the ideal self holds? 3) How does the daily self-experience relate to the young people’s imaginary ideal self in present and how does it relate to future self of adulthood? What type of similarities and differences occur in the top educator country Finland and post-Soviet country Estonia’s student self-reflections? The school can be viewed as a symbolic way of life, which, by its structural meaning as well as life practice, influences the development of students’ identity (Houtsonen 2000). We understand identity as a socially constructed and personality preserving subjective perspective of oneself, in which the relationship between the self and society is expressed. Identity can be interpreted as a projected social reality which presents the question: who am I from the perspective of others (Tajfel 1981). Another interpretation presents the idea of a holistic key question, searching the authenticity of personality and for existential meaning (Taylor 2000, Webster 2005). Identity could be considered as the most important pedagogical task of the school. The institutional framework of school offer specific identities, causing in the young people’s identification processes a pronounced definition by others, making subjects accepting authority and the deciding role of descriptions (Rinne, Antikainen&Koski 2000, Hoffmann 1997). We assume from the fact that self-interpretations form the human existence holistically, ie pre-watchingly (Straub 1996, Uhle 1997. Laitinen 2007). According to the Hermeneutic philosophy, the existential value of identity can be evaluated in terms of its ability to offer a meaningful life. The authenticity of identity is expressed when one’s existence is experienced as own, self-expressions are real, and activities and purposes one’s owned (Laitinen 2007). Youth’s self-definition processes in the daily school life are connected to their self-experiences in various situations. The structure of identity can be temporary, in which the experienced past and present determine the identity patterns of future (Straub1996). The hermeneutic view of identity (Taylor 2000, Laitinen 2007) describes it as the interpreted self (ipse identity).

The semi-structured written questionnaire elicited information related to the following: 1) the students reflection of themselves as role-bearers, feeling and active persons at school, 2) their ideal self image in present: what type of person do they desire to be at school, 3) the image of ideal self in future: what kind of person do they desire to become as adults. The student self awareness in the school reality was studied in the different Finnish and Estonian schools (Steiner school, Freinet school, free school, private school and public school), and in various age groups (8 and 11 grades). 5 Finnish (161 students) and 5 Estonian (185) schools were surveyed. The questions herein are the part of a larger identity study. The collected texts were analysed according to the qualitative content analysis and phenomenological experience study methods, with the attempt to emphasise subjective experiences of self in the school context.

The Finnish youth identified most with social and active related meanings, Estonians with achievement and expectations. The emotions spectrum was negative among the Estonians, among Finnish students the emotions occur more evenly and the emotional scale was broader. The list of activities was poor, their style mechanical and connected to the obligations and location. In the present image of ideal self desired to be themselves. In the future self-image of the Estonian students’ self-definition, several personality refining characteristics and ethic values as well as being useful to the others and being independent . The Finnish future-self was dominated by pragmatic purposes. Both countries’ youth school-self showed signs of alienation. Surprisingly, the attempts toward authenticity in the present among Finnish youth become pragmatic values in the future, whereas the more dependent position of the present has caused the Estonians to delegate the attempts for happiness and authenticity for the future.