The reflective pupil in the Finnish comprehensive education evaluation and curricula policy discourse

Authors

• Hannele Pitkänen Jyväskylän yliopisto

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33350/ka.119400

Keywords:

Self-evaluation, problematization, curriculum, policy, discourse

Abstract

In recent decades, pupil self-evaluation has become a central element and practice in the Finnish comprehensive education. Even before this, self-evaluation was expected of pupils. This article analyses the history of pupil self-evaluation in the Finnish curricula policy discourse. In particular, it focuses on how self-evaluation has become problematized over time and how it has been constituted as a solution to these socio-historically specific policy problematizations. Article employs Carol Bacchi’s ”What’s the problem represented to be” research strategy, drawing from Foucauldian poststructuralist methodology in the analysis of Finnish compulsory schooling curricula documents. While the so-called elementary school system was in place in Finland, self-evaluation was represented as the solution to educating critically thinking citizens for a democratic society. Since the 1990’s, self-evaluation has been seen as the solution to the problematics of lifelong learning. This discourse calls for continuously self-evaluating and self-improving lifelong learners. Our results show that self-evaluation should not only be considered as a pedagogical reflective method but also as a socio-historically changing practice that has potential to shape pupil subjectivities.