Opettajien kokemuksia varhaisesta puuttumisesta ammatillisessa koulutuksessa
Keywords:
early intervention, vocational education, prevention of exclusionAbstract
This article explores vocational teachers’ experiences of early intervention in vocational education. Early intervention in vocational education means providing support to the student as early as possible and as openly as possible. It is a process, which starts from small observations and leads to actions, which support the student. For this research, teacher students (n=20) of the Oulu UAS (Oulu University of Applied Sciences) School of Vocational Teacher Education implemented early intervention in their own work as a vocational teacher. The teachers’ most general worry was the students’ absences. Furthermore, the teachers were worried about the students’ life management, coping or depression. The student’s need for support was estimated with the zones of subjective worry (Eriksson & Arnkil, 2007; THL, 2009b). The teachers’ first step of early intervention was to bring up their subjective worry concerning a student. The descriptions of experiences written by the teachers have been used as the research material. The zones of subjective worry was considered as a good evaluation tool in defining the need for early intervention. The level of the teacher’s own worry was a determining factor. Teachers’ experiences of bringing up their subjective worry with the student were positive yet also challenging. However, anticipation prior to the discussion helped teachers to prepare for any unexpected situations. The teachers estimated that both the teacher and the student had benefited from the discussion. The discussion situation was the first step in early intervention. After this the student’s support continued as it was agreed upon in the meeting. Early intervention should belong to the toolkit of every actor in a school.
