Merkityssuhteiden muodostuminen ja toisen kohtaaminen – Fenomenologinen tutkimus alakouluikäisen oppilaan mielenannoista

Abstract

The motivation for this doctoral dissertation arose from my everyday experiences as a class teacher among primary school pupils. Children’s different interests, observations of the environment and learning styles were the inspiration for my research in the philosophy of education, in which I explore the phenomena of learning and encounters with others. The empirical data of my study consist of the narratives of primary school pupils. However, I did not interpret the data as produced by children, but as produced by people in general. The premise was that all humans have their own consciousness and phenomenological time, and that everyone’s starting points are bodily and mindful. I approached the organisation of experiences into meaning relationships from the perspective of phenomenological and existential philosophy. At the analysis stage, I utilised Edmund Husserl’s phenomenological reduction. The results of the study demonstrated that the formation of meaning relationships and learning of new things are based on understanding the essence of being a human and encountering others and otherness. It enhanced self-knowledge and highlighted the significance of emotional and interaction skills for learning. The study showed that we can never fully understand another person, but an aesthetic attitude can help us get close to others and encounter them genuinely and respectfully. This underlines the sensitivity and presence of educators in unique educational situations and teaches one to take other people and otherness into consideration. In addition, the study reminds us of the narratives and meanings of the representations of a visual and aesthetically oriented culture, while also calling for critical multiliteracy.