Authors
Rautiainen, V., Peltomäki, S., Pesonen, Henri., Kajamaa, A., & Kontu, E
English abstract
Käännekohtia koulussa: Opetushenkilökunnan yhteenkuuluvuuden tunteen rakentuminen - Turning points in school: formation of teaching staff’s sense of belonging
The closing down of smaller schools and opening larger schools has accelerated in the 21st century; this type of development is linked to current municipal and educational policy issues in Finland. So far, little research has been conducted on newly opened elementary schools. Merging schools is a demanding change for the teaching staff. In order to understand this issue better, it is necessary to study the sense of belonging of the teaching staff. The purpose of this study is to find out what factors enhance feeling of belonging and what leads to tension among teaching staff.
The data consists of interviews with the teaching staff (teachers and guidance counselors) (N = 19) and answers from two questionnaires (N = 65). The data was analyzed using theory-guided content analysis.
The research results demonstrate that the formation of the teaching staff's sense of belonging is a multidimensional phenomenon, which is accompanied by several strengthening and, on the other hand, tension-inducing factors. The feeling of togetherness is especially significantly strengthened by appreciative and respectful encounters with colleagues. The lack of feeling part of a community and appreciative encounters with colleagues and the feeling rushed led to tensions. Based on the findings, the feeling of belonging does not form by itself, but to build it, it is necessary to better identify the factors related to sense of belonging and cooperation between teachers, school guidance counselors and principals in order to create a new operating culture.