1. Junghyun Yoon, Department of Education, University of Turku
Quality of School Life of Adolescents in Different Sociocultural Contexts A Cross-cultural Comparative Study between Finland and Korea
Junghyun Yoon, Department of Education, University of Turku
Key concepts
The design of thesis research (Mixed –methods: quan+QUAL)
Quality of school life
Students’ general perception of their school well-being and satisfaction on their positive and negative experiences in their ordinary school life (cf. Linnakylä, 1996)
School life as a learning (lessons), social (relations with peers and teachers), and physical environment (time and space). (Lahelma, 2002)
Aspects of quality of school life
General satisfaction, Democratic relations, Status and identity, Achievement and opportunity, Emotions and physical symptoms
Cross-cultural comparative study
Cross-cultural perspective means that analogical incidents are explored in various cultural contexts, and the main focus is not on differences, but on finding similar or homological processes.
The aim of this study is to explore differences and similarities (Lahelma and Gordon, 2010, 113), also to increase theoretical understanding through the analysis of cultural variation (Lahelma and Gorden, 2010, 114).
Quantitative research article
Article 1: Yoon, J., and Järvinen, T. (2016, published online). Are model PISA pupils happy at school? Quality of school life of adolescents in Finland and Korea. Comparative Education.
Qualitative research ariticles to be written
Article 2: An important topic based on qualitative data analysis in Finland and Korea (e.g. school space and teacher-student relations in school)
Article 3: An important topic based on qualitative data analysis in Finland and Korea (e.g. Meaning of friends at school, tension and compromise between official layer and informal layer of schooling)
The implementation of fieldworks
The implementation of fieldworks
Finland
There had been difficulties regarding permissons from municipal and school levels.
I accompanied with a Finnish assistant and conducted interviews in Finnish with all the eight 6th grade students and one 8th grade student .
Korea
There had been difficulties in regard of gaining research permission and implementation especially from general middle schools.
Teachers of general middle schools were reluctant and unwilling to show their lessons and school life.
Changing research designs adjusting to the Korean context
References
Lahelma, E “School Is for Meeting Friends: Secondary School as Lived and Remembered.” British Journal of Sociology of Education 23 (3):
Lahelma, E. and Gordon, T Comparative and cross-cultural ethnography In Kauko, J., Rinne, R., and Kynkäänniemi H. (Eds.) Restructuring the truth of schooling – Essays on discursive practices in the sociology and politics of education.
Linnakylä, P Quality of school life in the Finnish comprehensive school: a comparative view. Scandinavian Journal of educational research 40 (1),
Jørgensen, C. R Three advantages of cross-national comparative ethnography – methodological reflections from a study of migrants and minority ethnic youth in English and Spanish schools. Ethnography and Education 10 (1), 1-16.