Avhandlingen syftar till att undersöka folkhögskoledeltagares sociala representationer om högskola och universitet. Enligt teorin om sociala representationer är folkhögskoledeltagarnas sociala representationer om högskola och universitet något som skapas socialt och förändras beroende på deltagarnas erfarenheter av högskola och universitet. Avhandlingen syftar också till att undersöka dessa sociala representationers ursprung och framväxt, liksom om de har påverkats av andra sociala representationer exempelvis dem om folkhögskolans särart. För att identifiera folkhögskole­deltagarnas sociala identitet och sociala representationer har jag använt mig av empiriska data insamlat genom fria associationer och intervjuer med folkhögskoledeltagare och före detta folkhögskoledeltagare. För att undersöka representationernas ursprung har jag genomfört en dokument­studie på folkhögskolelärarnas tidskrift. Resultaten visar att folkhögskolans företrädare genom hela folkhögskolans historia har förhållit sig till två huvudidéer, den om folkhögskolans särart och den om att folkhögskolan är en institution som anpassar sig efter det omkringliggande samhället och dess krav. Dessa båda idéer förklarar varför olika sociala identiteter och olika sociala representa­tioner existerar bland folkhögskoledeltagarna. Grundidén att folkhögskolan har en särart leder till representationer om folkhögskolan som ett alternativ till annan utbildning och högskola och universitet som något som inte är likt folkhögskola. Den andra grundläggande idén om folkhögskolan som en institution som ständigt anpassar sig leder till representationer om folkhögskolan som en andra chans och högskolan som mål. / The thesis aims to investigate folk high school participants’ social representations of university. According to the theory of social representa­tions, folk high school participants’ social representations of university are created socially and change depending on their experiences of university. The thesis also aims to investigate the origins of these social representations and how they have developed over time, as well as whether and how these rep­resent­ations have been affected by other social representa­tions, such as those of the distinctive character of folk high school. In order to identify folk high schools participants’ social identities and social rep­resenta­tions, I have made use of empirical data collected through free associa­tions and interviews with folk high school participants and former folk high school participants. To discover the origin of the representations and how they developed over time, I conducted a document study of an important folk high school teacher magazine. The results show that throughout the history of folk high schools, the institution has remained true to two basic ideas. These two fundamental ideas explain why different social identities and different representa­tions exist among the participants. The idea of folk high school as something different and special, leads to representations of folk high school as an alternative to other forms of education and to representations of university as some­­thing unlike folk high school. The second idea – that folk high school must adapt to the surrounding community – leads to representations of folk high school as a second chance and social representations of university as a goal.

Avhandlingen syftar till att undersöka folkhögskoledeltagares sociala representationer om högskola och universitet. Enligt teorin om sociala representationer är folkhögskoledeltagarnas sociala representationer om högskola och universitet något som skapas socialt och förändras beroende på deltagarnas erfarenheter av högskola och universitet. Avhandlingen syftar också till att undersöka dessa sociala representationers ursprung och framväxt, liksom om de har påverkats av andra sociala representationer exempelvis dem om folkhögskolans särart. För att identifiera folkhögskole­deltagarnas sociala identitet och sociala representationer har jag använt mig av empiriska data insamlat genom fria associationer och intervjuer med folkhögskoledeltagare och före detta folkhögskoledeltagare. För att undersöka representationernas ursprung har jag genomfört en dokument­studie på folkhögskolelärarnas tidskrift. Resultaten visar att folkhögskolans företrädare genom hela folkhögskolans historia har förhållit sig till två huvudidéer, den om folkhögskolans särart och den om att folkhögskolan är en institution som anpassar sig efter det omkringliggande samhället och dess krav. Dessa båda idéer förklarar varför olika sociala identiteter och olika sociala representa­tioner existerar bland folkhögskoledeltagarna. Grundidén att folkhögskolan har en särart leder till representationer om folkhögskolan som ett alternativ till annan utbildning och högskola och universitet som något som inte är likt folkhögskola. Den andra grundläggande idén om folkhögskolan som en institution som ständigt anpassar sig leder till representationer om folkhögskolan som en andra chans och högskolan som mål. / The thesis aims to investigate folk high school participants’ social representations of university. According to the theory of social representa­tions, folk high school participants’ social representations of university are created socially and change depending on their experiences of university. The thesis also aims to investigate the origins of these social representations and how they have developed over time, as well as whether and how these rep­resent­ations have been affected by other social representa­tions, such as those of the distinctive character of folk high school. In order to identify folk high schools participants’ social identities and social rep­resenta­tions, I have made use of empirical data collected through free associa­tions and interviews with folk high school participants and former folk high school participants. To discover the origin of the representations and how they developed over time, I conducted a document study of an important folk high school teacher magazine. The results show that throughout the history of folk high schools, the institution has remained true to two basic ideas. These two fundamental ideas explain why different social identities and different representa­tions exist among the participants. The idea of folk high school as something different and special, leads to representations of folk high school as an alternative to other forms of education and to representations of university as some­­thing unlike folk high school. The second idea – that folk high school must adapt to the surrounding community – leads to representations of folk high school as a second chance and social representations of university as a goal.

Avhandlingen syftar till att undersöka folkhögskoledeltagares sociala representationer om högskola och universitet. Enligt teorin om sociala representationer är folkhögskoledeltagarnas sociala representationer om högskola och universitet något som skapas socialt och förändras beroende på deltagarnas erfarenheter av högskola och universitet. Avhandlingen syftar också till att undersöka dessa sociala representationers ursprung och framväxt, liksom om de har påverkats av andra sociala representationer exempelvis dem om folkhögskolans särart. För att identifiera folkhögskole­deltagarnas sociala identitet och sociala representationer har jag använt mig av empiriska data insamlat genom fria associationer och intervjuer med folkhögskoledeltagare och före detta folkhögskoledeltagare. För att undersöka representationernas ursprung har jag genomfört en dokument­studie på folkhögskolelärarnas tidskrift. Resultaten visar att folkhögskolans företrädare genom hela folkhögskolans historia har förhållit sig till två huvudidéer, den om folkhögskolans särart och den om att folkhögskolan är en institution som anpassar sig efter det omkringliggande samhället och dess krav. Dessa båda idéer förklarar varför olika sociala identiteter och olika sociala representa­tioner existerar bland folkhögskoledeltagarna. Grundidén att folkhögskolan har en särart leder till representationer om folkhögskolan som ett alternativ till annan utbildning och högskola och universitet som något som inte är likt folkhögskola. Den andra grundläggande idén om folkhögskolan som en institution som ständigt anpassar sig leder till representationer om folkhögskolan som en andra chans och högskolan som mål. / The thesis aims to investigate folk high school participants’ social representations of university. According to the theory of social representa­tions, folk high school participants’ social representations of university are created socially and change depending on their experiences of university. The thesis also aims to investigate the origins of these social representations and how they have developed over time, as well as whether and how these rep­resent­ations have been affected by other social representa­tions, such as those of the distinctive character of folk high school. In order to identify folk high schools participants’ social identities and social rep­resenta­tions, I have made use of empirical data collected through free associa­tions and interviews with folk high school participants and former folk high school participants. To discover the origin of the representations and how they developed over time, I conducted a document study of an important folk high school teacher magazine. The results show that throughout the history of folk high schools, the institution has remained true to two basic ideas. These two fundamental ideas explain why different social identities and different representa­tions exist among the participants. The idea of folk high school as something different and special, leads to representations of folk high school as an alternative to other forms of education and to representations of university as some­­thing unlike folk high school. The second idea – that folk high school must adapt to the surrounding community – leads to representations of folk high school as a second chance and social representations of university as a goal.

This thesis explores the meaning of career as a phenomenon and its implication for career guidance. In 1996, career as a phenomenon was more or less considered to be an obsolete or even extinct phenomenon. Since then, career guidance has received increased attention along with the increased interest in lifelong learning strategies. This thesis is motivated by the paradoxical message of career as an extinct yet living phenomenon. Career is outlined as a bridging issue that involves several contexts and is characterized by a number of dominating discourses in tension with one another. Two educational fields linked by career are of particular interest: the field of education and training in working life and the educational field of career guidance counselling. This thesis explores the meaning of career among a triad of various interested parties in this time of transition in the world of working life, and it explores the sense in which such understanding(s) of career influence policies and practices of career guidance. The thesis is based upon four separate studies. The first study explores, in order to disclose underlying views on career, how the language of European policy documents on career guidance characterize career and career development. Qualitative content analysis is used as the basic method to approach the subject in the texts, with an inductive development of categories. The analysis then conducts a sender-oriented interpretation, based upon a textual model for analyzing documents. The results revealed that underlying perspective on career in the documents derive from economic perspective, learning perspective and political science perspective, and communicate career as subordinated to market forces. The second study pays attention to the receiving side of the ideational message, disclosed in the first study. The second study extends the analysis of the first study with an exploration of ethical declaration documents for the profession. The exploration focuses on significant key principles, the profession's role and mission, and significant changes between the initial and the revised ethical declaration. Similarities and differences were compared, combined with the first study’s results as an interpretive frame for analyzing what consequences and significance the core meaning of career at structural level will have for career guidance practice. The results revealed an implicit shift of emphasis in the career guidance mission, which creates uncertainty regarding on behalf of whom the guidance counsellor is working. The third study explores common-sense knowledge of career, among a group of people influenced by changing conditions in working life. This study explores what social representations people have about career. The study also explores how people's anchored thoughts reflect scientifically shaped thoughts, and how they relate to thoughts currently dominating on structural level. Results disclose how the group explored has stable social representations of career that are anchored in the past, in previous working life conditions, and that contrasts with perspectives dominating in the structural context. The group also has dynamic representations, which provide space for negotiation of the meaning of career. The fourth study explores guidance counsellors' social representations of their mission and of careertherein. Results generated four social representations expressed in argumentative pairs of opposites. The first pair is concerned with their professional mission and reveal their professional identity. The second is concerned with career. Their view on their mission and their professional identity is in sharp contrast with how they experience others' interpretation of their mission, as being a matching practice on behalf of the business sector. Guidance counsellors reject the general view of career among others' and they regard career in the context of guidance as something other than the common view. At the same time guidance counsellors reveal difficulties in really clarifying the meaning they ascribe to career. The empirical findings of each of the four studies are finally interpreted as a whole in the final section of this thesis. With support from social representations theory, the empirical findings illuminate the sources as bearers of social representations of career, which both meet and clash.