ABSTRACT
The exceptionally rapid change from agrarian to postindustrial and from traditional to late-modern or postmodern in Finnish society has made it possible to reveal the change in the meaning of education. So, what is the overall picture? Which are the social and cultural meanings? The answer given varies by the perspective. According to generational analysis the younger generation experiences education as self-evident or taken for granted. The analysis of cultural construction of identity finds a group of young people for whom education means the realization of a personal dream. The analysis of significant learning experiences confirms that at least in transitions and breaks of life-course and identity education may have empowering meanings. The answers are seen as complementary ones in the following conclusions.
