Tarinoita toiseudesta - Ammatillisen koulutuksen opiskelijoiden kokemuksia koulutuspoluilta
Keywords:
otherness, special education needs student, experiences, life theme, futureAbstract
This study views the experiences of otherness among vocational students with special needs. The starting point was to explore the life themes that emerged in the students' interviews when discussing their educational paths. The research data consists of 20 thematic interviews with final-year undergraduate students at a special vocational school. The research topic was approached from a data-driven perspective and the analysis of the data was content analysis in nature. The research questions are: how do students experience otherness, and what are their solutions to otherness concerning their lives and future? The students interviewed did not use the concept of otherness, but the concept is interpretative.
The study concludes that otherness is a relevant theme in the educational pathway. Students described the experience of being an outsider because of various perceived events. Students perceived the division between us and them as a unified experience. Not all interviewees experienced otherness, but they did not say they were fully involved. Friends were mostly reported to be few or none.
The transition from education to working life was a source of reflection for students, and the experience of otherness was still present when studies ended. However, the future looked bright, and young people had high hopes. The most important wish was to become part of the communities.
