Att utvecklas i mina egna fotspår : En kvalitativ studie om deltagarnas erfarenheter av allmän kurs på folkhögskola

Sammanfattning

In Sweden, youth unemployment is high, and lacking a complete upper secondary education means significant difficulties in establishing oneself on the labour market. Educational pathways that enable credentialing for adults can therefore play a crucial role in young people’s opportunities to partake in the labour market and in society. This essay aims to examine how Swedish folk high schools’ general course has prepared its participants for future studies and working life, by examining what educational and social factors the participants experience as meaningful for their own development and motivation. Furthermore, the aim is to examine if the participants experience a change in their perception regarding their own ability and future during the time spent at folk high school. The study is based on qualitative interviews with participants at folk high schools’ general courses, to create understanding of the participants' inner processes. The analysis is based on Self Determination Theory, where central concepts are the basic psychological needs and different forms of motivation, and on Transformative Learning, where central concepts are disorienting dilemma, critical reflection, sustainable relationships, and rational discourse. The result indicates that folk high schools’ social environment has a great significance for how the participants understand their development and learning process. Common working methods, teachers' approaches, and the structure of the folk high school strengthen participants' motivation and promotes transformative learning. The result thus shows that the folk high school prepares participants for further studies in more ways than just accreditation.