School has a big influence on the wellbeing of primary school aged children as an influential development environment. It reaches the whole age group, thus school has possible impact on long-term and target-oriented development work on school welfare, involvement and democracy education. Children's welfare and involvement have been studied in Finland from the point of view of school health care, health education and social politics, but less from the educational point of view of analyzing primary school aged children's own experiences.

When visualizing the future school the meaning of community spirit is emphasized. The task of school is to strengthen every pupil's level of confidence in the value of participation and the sense of empowerment. What is most distinctive about democratic school is the feel of it.

The work to develop school culture has to be done systematically together with the children. The democratic education of children in everyday school life consists of innovating, planning, doing, and diversely assessing things interactively together. In basic education prerequisites are created for pupils' interests in matters of school community and society. Pupils should be taken along more actively into school activities as well as their parents and linked with the wider surrounding community and participatory organizations beyond the schools.

Participating in social activities is the basic prerequisite for democratic functioning. This dissertation seeks to reinforce the significance of children's participation in learning and promoting democratic skills as well as in activating community participation. The objective of this dissertation research, which I started at the University of Turku in 2013, is to find out the present stage of participation and possibilities of influencing as experienced by primary school aged children as well as to analyze the experiences and beliefs of involvement and influence.

Children's participation and possibility to influence matters related to themselves promotes the child's growth into an active citizen and gives preparedness to act in the democratic and equal society of the future. By creating possibilities for children and the young in everyday school life to get involved, the skills of influencing are developed, communal school culture is promoted, and marginalization is prevented. In addition, by developing systematically the activities of the student association and the municipal children's parliament, resident involvement and resident satisfaction are developed.

The dissertation material will consist of both quantitative and qualitative review. The quantitative material (n=471) has been collected in spring 2014 by means of a questionnaire done among the fifth grade girls and boys. Altogether twenty different Finnish speaking primary schools participated in this survey.

The qualitative material will be collected in spring 2015. In what way are involvement and equality carried out in the school culture? Are social matters discussed during the lessons? How do children learn skills of an active citizen? In group interviews children's experiences and beliefs on involvement and chances of influencing everyday school life as well as developing immediate neighbourhood will be surveyed.  This qualitative part of the research (n= 50) will have pupils from small and large primary schools.  

On the basis of the research material concerning children's involvement as well as its analysis, it will be possible to develop the involvement culture of children in a goal-oriented way equally emphasizing the point of view of everyone – including the quiet children. Hearing children in the planning of the school culture, actions, and assessment in schoolhas been taken into consideration in the curriculum of the comprehensive school effective from autumn 2016. The personal experiences of a primary school aged child as an equal member of the school community, and as an active social person are an interesting research topic from the educational point of view.

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