Browsing by Subject "http://www.yso.fi/onto/yso/p1947"
Now showing items 1-12 of 12
-
(2023)According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Covid-19 pandemic has had a serious psychological impact on individuals. This also applies to teachers. Previous studies have also shown that 57% of teachers are considering changing their professions, which is partly because their well-being has been deteriorating. Positive psychology, in turn, has received more attention when it comes to students' well-being. The aim of this study is to investigate what role positive psychology can play in the promotion of teachers' well-being, with a specific focus on the well-being after the COVID-19 pandemic. Six (6) teachers in basic education in Finland participated in the study. They were interviewed through semi-structured interviews. The interviews were taped, transcribed and analyzed through a hermeneutic analysis method. The results showed that all teachers were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and distance learning, although not all of them thought so themselves. What affected the teachers the most was the lack of social interaction and loneliness that the pandemic brought. The results also showed that the teachers in this study had good practices when it came to promoting their own well-being. These methods can be classified as methods belonging to positive psychology. Although teachers did not have good knowledge of what the concept of positive psychology means, these methods were used unconsciously.
-
(2020)This thesis examines the influence of the welfare effect of crafts and craft-communities in the lives of people with depression. The well-being effects of crafts has been studied extensively and from several different perspectives in recent decades. Some of these studies have been handled at a general level the meanings of crafts for the mental health, but little is known about the benefits of crafts specially for depression or depression self-treatment. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to find out if the crafts can be used as a self-treatment method in depression, based on the meanings told by the depressed. The research questions were that what role craft plays in the story of the interviewee´s depression and what well-being effects the interviewees feel they get from crafts and craft-communities. The thesis pursues a narrative approach. Research material collected by narrative interview from five craft-amateurs who has experienced depression. Material from the interviews were analysed with two approaches. As a result of the narrative analysis, the study created personal stories of the interviewees about the depression and the role of crafts in it. The analysis of narratives examined in more detailed way the similarities and differences between the interviewees´ narratives. These narratives were compared with recommendations on self-treatment for depression and the studies about the well-being effects of craft. In their stories, the interviewees described how crafts and craft-communities improve their well-being. This was very consistent with previous studies of the subject. Because of the de-pression, it was significant for the interviewees that the crafts increased their experiences of pleasure, usefulness and success. They also felt that the crafts gave them more strength and improved life management. For the interviewees´ crafts and craft-communities pro-duced similar welfare effects. Although they felt that from craft communities, they received also social relationships with peers. Interviewees didn´t use the term of self-treatment for de-pression when they described the well-being effects of crafts. Even though the interviewees express that the crafts help them manage and live with depression. Based on such results the crafts could be considered a suitable method as self-treatment for depression.
-
(2020)Tämän pro gradu-tutkielman aiheena on lasten hyvinvointi. Tutkielma paikantuu ehkäisevän lastensuojelun kentälle. Lasten hyvinvoinnista on suhteellisen paljon laajoihin rekisteriaineistoihin ja tilastollisiin tutkimuksiin perustuvaa tietoa. Lasten hyvinvoinnin tutkimuksessa on perinteisesti keskitytty hyvinvoinnin uhkiin ja riskeihin. Hyvinvointia tuottavat ja ylläpitävät asiat ovat jääneet vähemmälle huomiolle. Lasten koetun, subjektiivisen hyvinvoinnin tutkimus on vuosien varrella lisääntynyt, mutta sitä on edelleen verrattain vähän. Ehkäisevän lastensuojelun toimintakentillä, peruspalveluissa ja järjestöissä, tavoitetaan lapsiväestöä laajasti ja mahdollisuudet heidän hyvinvointinsa edistämiseen ovat olemassa. Kaikkien lasten hyvinvoinnin turvaaminen ei kuitenkaan ole onnistunut ehkäisevän lastensuojelun keinoin. Tässä tutkielmassa lapset nähdään oman elämänsä asiantuntijoina, sosiaalisina toimijoina ja yksilöinä, joilla on oikeuksia, näkemyksiä ja arvokasta tietoa elämästään ja hyvinvoinnistaan. Tutkielmassa sitoudutaan lasten oikeuksien ja osallisuuden edistämiseen. Tässä tutkielmassa lasten hyvinvointia tarkastellaan Allardtin hyvinvoinnin ulottuvuuksien eli elintason (having), yhteisyyssuhteiden (loving) ja itsenä toteuttamisen (being) ulottuvuuksien kautta. Lisäksi lasten hyvinvointia lähestytään subjektiivisen eli koetun hyvinvoinnin näkökulmasta. Tutkielmassa selvitetään ehkäisevän lastensuojelun piirissä olevien lasten ajatuksia hyvinvoinnista eli siitä mikä lasten näkemyksen mukaan tuottaa heille hyvinvointia ja millaiset asiat lapset kokevat hyvinvointiaan uhkaavina. Tutkielma on laadullinen haastattelututkimus. Lasten ajatuksia hyvinvoinnista kartoitettiin teemahaastattelujen avulla. Tutkimushaastattelujen tavoitteena oli kysyä lapsilta heidän ajatuksiaan hyvinvoinnista. Tutkielman aineisto koostuu Pelastakaa Lapset ry:n ehkäisevän työn piirissä olleiden lasten yksilöhaastatteluista. Tutkimushaastatteluihin osallistui kymmenen 7-12-vuotiasta lasta, viisi poikaa ja viisi tyttöä. Tutkielman aineiston perusteella lasten hyvinvoinnin rakennuspalikoita ovat hyvä arki ja hyvät ihmissuhteet. Erityisesti myönteiset vuorovaikutussuhteet ovat lasten hyvinvoinnin kannalta keskeisiä. Leikki on lapsille tärkeä yhdessäolon ja vapaa-ajan vieton muoto. Lapset arvostavat tekemisen mielekkyyttä ja tekeminen koetaan mielekkääksi, kun siihen yhdistyvät hyvät ihmissuhteet sekä mahdollisuus hauskanpitoon ja leikkiin. Lasten hyvinvointia uhkaaviksi asioiksi lapset näkevät kuormittavat ihmissuhteet ja kiusaamisen. Lasten hyvinvointia ylläpitävään toimivaan arkeen kuuluvat aineelliset asiat vastaavat Allardtin hyvinvointiteorian elintasoon ja elämän aineellisiin olosuhteisiin liittyvää having-ulottuvuutta. Lasten hyvinvointiin liittyvät perhe- ja kaverisuhteet kuuluvat Allardtin hyvinvointiteoriassa yhteisyyssuhteiden eli loving-ulottuvuudelle. Lisäksi lasten hyvinvointiin kuuluu mielekäs tekeminen, kuten leikkiminen, jotka Allardtin hyvinvointiteoriassa sijoittuu itsensä toteuttamisen ja yhteiskuntaan kiinnittymisen being-ulottuvuudelle. Allardtin hyvinvoinnin ulottuvuuksilla tarkasteltuna tutkielman tulokset korostavat yhteisyyssuhteiden merkitystä lasten hyvinvoinnin kannalta. Tutkielmassa havaitut lapsille merkitykselliset lasten hyvinvointiin vaikuttavat asiat ovat samansuuntaisia aikaisempien tutkimusten kanssa. Näin ollen on mahdollista, että lapsen vuorovaikutussuhteiden laadulla ja mahdollisuudella hauskanpitoon ja leikkiin on yhteys lapsen koettuun hyvinvointiin. Tämän tutkielman näkökulmasta tärkein havainto on aikaisempien tutkimusten vahvistama vuorovaikutussuhteiden laadun keskeinen merkitys lasten hyvinvoinnille. Hyvät ja toimivat vuorovaikutussuhteet ovat lasten turvallisuudentunteen ja hyvinvoinnin lähde ja mahdollistavat mielekkääksi koetun toiminnan. Vaikeudet vuorovaikutussuhteissa sitä vastoin vaikuttavat negatiivisesti lasten hyvinvointiin. Allardtin hyvinvoinnin ulottuvuuksilla tarkasteltuna sekä aikaisempi tutkimus että tämän tutkielman tulokset nostavat yhteisyyssuhteiden (loving) ulottuvuuden lasten hyvinvoinnin kannalta keskeiseksi, välttämättömäksi hyvinvoinnin edellytykseksi, joka mahdollistaa itsensä toteuttamisen ja yhteiskuntaan kiinnittymisen (being). Tässä tutkielmassa sitouduttiin kunnioittamaan lasten tietoa, oikeuksia ja osallisuutta. Käytännön syyt vaikuttivat tutkielman menetelmällisiin valintoihin siten, että menetelmälliset valinnat eivät tukeneet lasten osallisuutta parhaalla mahdollisella tavalla. Lapsia ei otettu osallisiksi kanssatutkijoina tutkielman eri vaiheisiin. Tutkielmassa lasten tieto ja oikeudet on joka tapauksessa otettu vakavasti ja niitä on kunnioitettu. Toisenlainen tutkimusasetelma olisi mahdollistanut lasten osallisuuden laajemman toteutumisen. Lisäksi toisenlainen tutkimusasetelma, jossa lapset olisivat osallistuneet kanssatutkijoina tutkimusprosessin eri vaiheisiin, olisi todennäköisesti tuottanut tavalla tai toisella erilaisia tuloksia.
-
(2020)Assuming that living is not always categorically good or categorically bad for the life’s subject, ‘wellbeing’ must be a value that is measured on a non-ratio scale. This entails that there is no significant zero point on the wellbeing level scale. The arbitrary zero point on a non-ratio scale does not signify a lack. Thus, the states of living and non-living are incomparable from the perspective of wellbeing-related interests, for a subject does not have any wellbeing level while not alive. A similar argument was put forward already by Epicurus and Lucretius. The concepts of ‘a life worth living’ and ‘a life not worth living’ are flawed. Birth and death, as coming into existence and ceasing to exist, can never either harm or benefit a life’s subject wellbeing-wise. This is true a priori. As wellbeing levels are non-ratio values, they do not cumulate. Hence, it makes little sense in trying to compare the wellbeing values of wholes, like complete lives, especially if they are of different duration. The thesis starts from a premise of ‘wellbeing’ relating to moments of time, this being the undisputed part of the different interpretations of the term. Only after carefully examining the concept of a ‘wellbeing level’ and its features, a theory is built to address the question of how to compare values of temporal wholes. In the process, all of the possible symmetrical and asymmetrical theories of the personal value of birth and death are laid out, and their relationship with the concept of ‘wellbeing’ is analyzed. The term ‘biosignificantism’ is introduced to refer to a theory according to which birth and death may both be either beneficial or detrimental to a subject from a wellbeing-point-of-view. The claims of biosignificantism are refuted by demonstrating why a significant zero point on a non-ratio scale cannot be defined. The type of non- cumulative wellbeing that a non-ratio scale entails is logically combined with features that pose some limitations on how wellbeing may be affected either causally or non-causally. These limitations are outlined. Finally, the broad implications of a theory that is named ‘bioindifferentism’ and that reduces personal value on non-ratio wellbeing are formulated. The relevant literature that is utilized in the research is largely divided: mostly separate fields of research have been devoted to the relationship of birth and wellbeing, and, on the other hand, the relationship of death and wellbeing. This master’s thesis brings the issues together. Derek Parfit’s Reasons and Persons (1984) and Ben Bradley’s Well-Being & Death (2009) are central references. Past research has been largely conducted in terms of moral philosophy which seems to have led to a lot of confusions. The thesis’s axiological focus is intended to bring the discussion back to the atom level to lay down the groundwork for also ethics.
-
(2020)Tiivistelmä - Referat - Abstract Mental problems are an increasing challenge among university students. Research and development of interventions that aim to enhance well-being is important, because challenges in students' well-being easily effect the study progress and success. Mental problems and symptoms can also follow into working life, so the prevention of challenges is also important in the light of the students' later ability to work and be well. Psychological flexibility has been found to promote well-being in many ways. Several intervention studies have confirmed that psychological flexibility can also be promoted by using acceptance and commitment therapy’s (ACT) methods. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of an internet-based intervention on university students’ well-being and study skills. The aim of the intervention was to enhance student’s psychological flexibility and organised studying skills. The research questions were: How are psychological flexibility, well-being, experienced stress, study-related burnout and organised studying skills related to each other, what kind of effects does the intervention have on the above-mentioned scales and how is the burnout risk divided before and after intervention. 74 university students participated in an intervention study conducted with an experimental control setting. Students’ psychological flexibility, well-being, experiences of stress, study-related burnout and organised studying were measured with questionnaires. The data of this study consist of the questionnaires conducted at the beginning and end of the intervention. Connections between the variables were observed by correlations and the change by repeated measures t-test, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), and frequency table. The results showed that students’ psychological flexibility, well-being, and organised learning skills increased as perceived stress and study-related burnout decreased. The effects of the intervention suggest that the well-being of university students can be supported by online intervention course combining ACT practices and study skills. More research is needed on the individual-level changes and the long-term effects of the intervention on well-being and study-related burnout.
-
(2024)This master's thesis examines how perceived neighbourhood safety is associated with socioeconomic status in Finland from 2002 to 2018. The research questions of the thesis are, firstly, how well do measures of socioeconomic status explain perceived neighbourhood safety within people living in Finland, and secondly, has the importance of socioeconomic status in explaining experiences of insecurity changed over time. As perceived insecurity in the neighbourhood is observed to be a markedly gendered phenomenon, it is thirdly examined whether the association of socioeconomic status with perceived neighbourhood safety is different according to gender. The examination is based on the European Social Survey (ESS) data of Finland, which are somewhat representative samples of the population living in Finland. Perceived neighbourhood safety is part of the ESS core questionnaire, which has been carried out in EU countries every second year since 2002. The data used in this thesis has been collected in nine waves, in such a way that data from every even year in the timeframe 2002-2018 is used. For this purpose, the data have been merged and the final analyses include a total of 17 955 respondents. The development of perceived neighbourhood safety or insecurity over time is examined through three periods of years, which are 2002-2006, 2008-2012, and 2014-2018. The method used in the work is logistic regression, for the needs of which the response variable that measures insecurity has been coded as binary. Perceived neighbourhood safety over time in the light of the ESS surveys has not previously been investigated in Finland with a similar method and perspective. Looking at the relationship between socioeconomic status and perceived neighbourhood safety, it is observed that a lower level of education explains the experiences of insecurity in both women and men, but the connection disappears in men when background variables and other measures of socioeconomic status are held constant. On the other hand, for women, the level of education remains a statistically significant factor for experiencing insecurity in all models. When examining changes over time, it is found that the experiences of insecurity in the neighbourhood area have decreased for women, so that, above all, insecurity has decreased for those who have completed higher education. Within men, perceived insecurity in the neighbourhood is experienced less, and no statistically significant changes are detected over time according to the level of education. Instead, within male respondents, a process of differentiation according to perceived adequacy of income is observed during the time period, in such a way that those men who felt that they could get by with their current income experienced a decrease in perceived insecurity, while this did not happen to the other male respondents. At the level of all respondents, perceived insecurity in the residential area has decreased during the time period observed, but indications are found that the positive development has been slower or even stagnant in population groups of lower socioeconomic status. Experiences of insecurity have negative health effects on the ones having the experience. The connection of socioeconomic status to perceived insecurity points to an additional dimension of inequality among those living in Finland. On a general level, it was observed that lower socioeconomic status, measured according to several different indicators, predicted higher perceived neighbourhood insecurity.
-
(2022)In order to follow the principles of sustainable education, the well-being of students should be established as its core factor. In searching to alleviate stress, educators pay attention to students’ self-agency skills and effective study methods in order to regulate learning and maintain a meaningful life. Recent research shows that music is a powerful motor in building young people's identity, and it is consequential that educational stakeholders must create new structures and enable the study of music in a comprehensive way. One of these opportunities is the ongoing reform of the general upper secondary school diplomas, conducted by the Finnish National Agency for Education EDUFI [Opetushallitus, OPH]. This study aims to reveal the current reform process of the upper secondary school diploma in music and its possible effect on the Finnish education system and adolescence well-being. This reform will inevitably affect the educational culture and society in several sectors. For this purpose, experts involved in the reform mentioned were interviewed. The participants of the study were invited to discuss the essential questions of the reform in order to clarify the current status of the process, and its prospects. The data from the interviews draws on experts’ opinion on proposing a reform to the current upper secondary diploma in music. Interviews are analyzed in connection with previous research and the current state of the reform. This paper reinforces insights into how music plays a role in adolescent identity modification. In addition, music diploma reform has the potential to make it visible and appreciated. In connection with the interviews, visions and suggestions for implementing the diplomas in the future will emerge. However, the shared understanding of the meanings of music education for the benefit of young people emerges from the interviews, appearing as the most significant discovery of this study.
-
(2024)Tässä tutkielmassa arvioidaan Hyvä kierre -projektin verkostotason tuloksellisuutta Provanin ja Milwardin (2001) viitekehykseen perustuen. Hyvä kierre -projektin verkostotason tuloksellisuutta tarkastellaan verkostokoordinaattoreiden haastattelujen ja toimintakertomusten perusteella hyödyntäen monimenetelmällistä lähestymistapaa. Haastatteluiden analysointi suoritetaan käyttäen teorialähtöistä laadullista sisällönanalyysiä. Toimintakertomuksia analysoidaan vuorostaan kvantifioinnin ja sisällön erittelyn keinoin. Tutkimuskysymyksenä on: Minkälaisia verkostotason tuotoksia ja tuloksia Hyvä kierre - projektin työ on tuottanut? Verkostotason tuloksellisuuden arviointia tehdään kolmeen pääteemaan perustuen: jäsenet, palvelut ja organisointi. Ensimmäiseksi jäsenten pääteemassa arvioidaan kolmea verkostotason tuloksellisuuden osa-aluetta: jäsenten määrän kasvua, jäsenten sitoutumista verkoston päämääriin sekä suhteiden vahvuutta ja moninaisuutta. Näiden verkostotason tuloksellisuuden osa-alueiden arvioitavia tuloksia ja tuotoksia ovat jäsenten määrän kasvun lisäksi Instagram-tilin seuraajien määrä, kyselyiden vastaajamäärät, verkoston jäsenyyksien pysyvyys, yhteistyön luonne, jäsenyyksien moniammatillisuus ja verkoston suhteiden multipleksiyys (engl. multiplexity). Toinen pääteema liittyy Hyvä kierre -projektin palveluihin. Palveluiden pääteemassa arvioidaan projektin tarjoamien palveluiden määrän kasvua. Tämän verkostotason tuloksellisuuden osa-alueen arvioitavia tuotoksia ovat: palvelujen määrän kasvu ja se, missä määrin projektin tarjoamat palvelut kohtaavat jäsenten tarpeet. Kolmas pääteema arvioi Hyvä kierre -projektin organisointia. Organisoinnin pääteemassa arvioidaan projektin tarjoamien palvelujen koordinaatiota ja integraatiota. Osana tämän verkostotason tuloksellisuuden osa-aluetta arvioidaan seuraavia tuotoksia ja tuloksia: hallitseeko, ohjaako ja koordinoiko verkoston hallitsijaorganisaatio verkoston toimintaa ja palveluntarjontaa sekä missä määrin verkoston hallitsijaorganisaatio hankkii ja jakaa resursseja verkostolle. Hyvä kierre -projektin jäsenten ja palveluiden pääteemoihin liittyvät tulokset ja tuotokset viittaavat vahvasti siihen, että Provanin ja Milwardin (2001) teorian mukainen verkostotason tuloksellisuus toteutuu Hyvä kierre -projektissa joitain yksittäisiä poikkeuksia lukuun ottamatta. Provanin ja Milwardin (2001) teorian mukaiset verkostotason tulokset ja tuotokset toteutuvat organisoinnin pääteemassa jäsenten ja palveluiden pääteemoja heikommin, vaikka siinäkin on nähtävissä vahvuuksia. Erityisesti jäsenmäärä, jäsenten moniammatillisuus, suhteiden vahvuus ja moninaisuus ja Hyvä kierre -projektin valmius vastata jäsenten tarpeisiin ovat sellaisia determinantteja, joiden voidaan olettaa vahvistaneen Hyvä kierre - projektin tuloksellisuutta verkostotasolla. Lisäksi verkostotason tuloksellisuutta voitaisiin aiemman tutkimuksen valossa nostaa nykyisestä hankkimalla jäseniltä resursseja ja jakamalla niitä Hyvä kierre -projektissa aiempaa systemaattisemmin, vahvistamalla jäsenten sitoutumista ja yhteistyötä sekä koordinaatiota parantamalla.
-
(2020)The emotion embodiment artefacts (tunnehahmo) are hand-made three-dimensional metaphorical expressions of the maker’s emotion. The process of making these artefacts started as my own self-care process in 2014 and has since taken on a more structured form as workshops (tunnehahmopaja) for different groups. In this study I describe the characteristics of emotion embodiment artefacts and investigate the elements of the process that enhance well-being. In recent years, the field of handicrafts has discovered the possibilities of materiality and metaphor as a counterbalance to the traditional practices, which focus more on techniques and end products. Previous research has shown that handicrafts can increase the well-being of the makers. Making handicrafts has been found to involve emotions and the opportunity to deal with difficult emotions. However, there are hardly any research results on how crafts could be used to process emotions in conscious manner. In different therapies and emotional skills guidance programs there are handicraft-related practises which could be used in actual handicraft making to advance the well-being of the maker also in an actual therapeutic sense. As the main data in this study I used about a hundred photos taken in the workshops, as well as two group discussions I organized for the participants of these workshops. One discussion was organized for constructive communication counselors and other for young adults who participated in a daily workshop focusing on creative methods. I analyzed the data with computer-assisted qualitative content analysis with Atlas.ti. The emotion embodiment artefacts had characteristics that could be divided into five categories: names, shapes, materials, techniques, and symbolic details. Symbolic meanings were attached by the makers to these expressive charasteristics. All the elements that enhance well-being defined by Pöllänen (2015) appeared at some level in the process. Some of them were more strongly or differently emphasized than in previous studies. Based on this study emotion embodiment artefacts are metaphorical craft-art expressing emotions in manifold ways. Emotion embodiment artefacts and the process of creating them can strengthen the well-being of their makers, as they provide opportunities to explore emotions from many perspectives and allow the makers to become more familiar with themselves and their feelings and needs. Based on this research, handicrafts could be used more systematically to enhance well-being and emotional skills, even in a therapeutic sense.
-
(2020)Aims/Objectives. The use of wine has become more common in recent decades in Finland and besides restauraunts the use has also increased at homes. The wine is also consumed more with meals, reflecting a change in the Finnish eating and drinking culture. This study analyzes how widespread is the use of wine at meals, who drinks wine with meals and what are the socio-demographic factors associated with drinking wine with meals. In addition, the study examines how drinking wine with meals is associated with self-reported well-being. Data and methods. Drinking Habits Survey (2008) collected by STAKES (today National Institute for Health and Welfare) was used as a data. This nationally representative survey has 2725 respondents aged 15 to 69. Response rate was 73.6. Analysis included those aged at least 18 years (n = 2591). Main variable of interest is drinking wine with meals at least once a week. Other variables were psychological distress, self-efficacy, self-reported health, uncontrolled drinking and negative events associated with drinking. Different socio-demographic variables were as well investigated. The data were analyzed with descriptive methods and regression analysis. Results and conclusions. Although wine drinking has become more commonplace in Finland, drinking wine with meals is still rare. Of respondents, 11 % used wine with meals at least one a week and one-third of the respondents never used the wine with meals. Drinking wine with meals was linked to high education and living in urban environment. It was especially common among those aged 30 to 65. Drinking wine with meals was associated with well-being and self-reported health. The results support earlier finding showing that drinking wine with meals is connected to a healthier and lighter food taste.
-
(2022)Aims. The purpose of this thesis was to examine whether a gymnastics coach’s personality is connected to self-esteem of a gymnast, and if some of the personality traits have supporting or weakening effect on the gymnast’s self-esteem. Also, I examine the general level of gymnasts’ self-esteem. The two hypotheses were the following. First, gymnastics coach’s personality traits agreeableness (A), openness (O) and extraversion (E) are positively connected to gymnasts’ self-esteem and thus support their self-esteem. Second, the gymnastics coach’s personality traits neuroticism (N) and conscientiousness (C) are connected negatively to gymnasts’ self-esteem, i.e. have weakening effect to gymnasts’ self-esteem. Recently, the controversial coaching methods in top-level sports and their effect on the well-being and self-esteem of the athletes has received significant media attention. Thereby, I strive to contribute to the knowledge of factors that do support the well-being and self-esteem of athletes. Methods. The research data was collected with two separate online questionnaires which were shared to Finnish gymnastics clubs’ coaches and gymnasts. Gymnastics coaches answered only the questionnaire that measured personality while gymnasts answered only the questionnaire that measured the level of their self-esteem. Total of 22 gymnastics coaches from five different clubs and, 105 gymnasts aged between 10 and 21 years, from four different clubs located in Espoo, Tampere and Turku answered the questionnaires. The main quantitative analyses of this thesis were correlation analysis and ordinary least squares linear regression analyses. Results and conclusions. The gymnasts in the sample of this thesis had on average very high level of self-esteem. The level of self-esteem was negatively correlated with the gymnast’s age. The results of the regression analyses imply that higher extraversion of a gymnastics coach is positively related to the self-esteem of a gymnast. Thereby, the results suggest that characteristics that are linked to extraversion, such as sociableness, warmth and enthusiasm, of a gymnastics coach support the self-esteem and thereby the well-being of a gymnast.
-
What’s next for Finland? : a broad inquiry into strengths and weaknesses of the economy of Finland (2020)Finnish economy performed remarkably well for decades after the war. Finland achieved an enviable standard of living with a combination of free-market capitalism and extensive welfare state. The long period of growth, which was temporarily disrupted by the 1990s depression, culminated in the spectacular rise of Nokia that pushed the entire country forward. Eventually the period of growth ended in global financial crisis of 2007-2008. While Finland’s neighbors were able to bounce back in few years, it took a decade for Finland to recover, and the effects of the prolonged recovery are felt yet today. This dissertation focusses on identifying the underlying reasons to Finland’s poor performance in recent years. The research question in this dissertation is broad: to identify significant trends and phenomena that cross sector boundaries and cannot be described by a single model and a narrow approach. The approach is to systematically review well established theories, sector by sector, and then present cross-country evidence to shed light on Finland’s economy. A lot of emphasize is on Schumpeterian endogenous growth theory, which explains why firms invest in research and development. Schumpeterian theory is tested with a panel data regression, using sector-level Product Market Competition data and data on triadic patent presentations. Data used in this dissertation is collected from public sources, including Statistics Finland, Eurostat, OECD, UN, ILO, WIPO and The World Bank. A Statistically significant and positive relationship between PMC and rate of innovation was found to exist using Finnish data for 2013 and 2017. As PMC has declined in key industries in Finland, it means that firms’ incentives to innovate have decreased. This coincides with austerity measures that have impacted public sector R&D spending. These factors, among with others, have contributed to Total Factor Productivity decline, which is worrisome. Other notable findings include Finland’s post-crisis growth in private demand, that substantially contributed to Finland’s recovery. However, much of that growth comes from spending on housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, that is related to steep increase in electricity transmission tariffs. In other words, increased spending reduced welfare. As overall conclusion, Finland needs a more strategic approach to economic policy. Finland would benefit from focusing on policies that spur innovation and generate growth, namely, stronger focus on market economy and R&D. Deregulation, supporting the market economy, and lowering the obstacles that stand in the way of immigration of skilled workers, are examples of those policies.
Now showing items 1-12 of 12