This paper reflects ethnographic fieldwork (2018–2020) conducted in the context of the school subject of literacy in vocational education and training (VET) in Finland. I explore some troubling situations and discuss social hierarchies produced within.
VET technical field male students are often seen through stereotypes of anti-school masculinity, for instance not interested in studying core subjects such as literacy but longing for labour (Rosvall 2015; Pietilä et al. 2021; Nylund et al. 2018). School subject of literacy is culturally understood as feminine and academic (Jackson 2006; Sulkunen & Kauppinen 2018). However, in the VET technical fields, literacy contextualises in working-class and male setting (Nylund et al. 2018; Education Statistics Finland 2022).
This presentation addresses to the need to detail and diversify interpretations on VET students (Rosvall 2015) and not to settle for the anti-school diagnosis. The paper stems from ethnographic PhD project with the aim of exploring social meanings and relations that are constructed during literacy lessons in VET. The overall methodology was feminist ethnography (Skeggs 2001), meaning a commitment in social justice and norm criticism.
The analysis draws from regarding language use indexical, reproducing hierarchies and discourses (Blommaert 2007). The paper presents examples and analysis on troubling situations from the fieldwork and research process. I reflect the social dynamics and social hierarchies by focusing on indexical language use within these troubling situations. I aim in exploring how indexical language use analysis might help in interpreting intensive and important local meanings drawing from a body of ethnographic fieldwork in which the researcher is personally intertwined. From a social justice perspective, locating discourses and their reproduction in subtle moments of indexical language use enables to reveal, discuss and subvert social hierarchies – hierarchies in which a researcher is part of whether she liked it or not.
Blommaert, J. (2007). Sociolinguistics and discourse analysis: Orders of indexicality and polycentricity. Journal of multicultural discourses, 2(2), 115-130.
Education Statistics Finland (2022b). Ammatillisen koulutuksen opiskelijat, koulutusala ja sukupuoli [Students in vocational education and training, vocational field and gender] https://vipunen.fi/fi-fi/_layouts/15/xlviewer.aspx?id=/fi-fi/Raportit/Ammatillinen%20koulutus%20-%20opiskelijat%20-%20koulutusala.xlsb.
Jackson, C. (2006). Lads and ladettes in school: Gender and a fear of failure. McGraw-Hill Education.
Nylund, M., Rosvall, P. Å., Eiríksdóttir, E., Holm, A. S., Isopahkala-Bouret, U., Niemi, A. M., & Ragnarsdóttir, G. (2018). The academic–vocational divide in three Nordic countries: Implications for social class and gender. Education Inquiry, 9(1), 97-121.
Pietilä, P., Tainio, L., Lappalainen, S., & Lahelma, E. (2021). Swearing as a method of antipedagogy in workshops of rap lyrics for 'failing boys' in vocational education. Gender and Education, 33(4), 420-434.
Rosvall, P. Å. (2015). 'Lad' research, the reproduction of stereotypes? Ethnographic dilemmas when researching boys from working-class backgrounds. Ethnography and Education, 10(2), 215-229.
Skeggs, B. (2001). Feminist ethnography. Handbook of ethnography, 426-442.
Sulkunen, S., & Kauppinen, M. (2018). Ainakin muutaman pojan luokallani tiedän lukevan. Poikien (osin piiloiset) luku-ja kirjoitustaidot. Teoksessa Kivijärvi, Antti, Huuki, Tuija & Lunabba, Harry (toim.), Poikatutkimus. Tampere: Vastapaino, 146-173.
