Browsing by Subject "alakoulu"

The purpose of this thesis is to examine classroom teacher’s views on participation and agency in primary school’s visual arts education. The study aims to find out how classroom teachers define the concepts of participation and agency and in what ways it is found possible to promote these things in school in general, and visual arts classes in particular. The theoretical framework of participation and agency is based on the socio-pedagogical approach of participation. The promotion of participation and agency is viewed in social and political contexts and examined through the concept of engaged pedagogy. The study was conducted as a qualitative interview survey. A total of six people were interviewed for the study and the interviews were conducted as semi-structured thematic interviews. Interviews were conducted both by using online connections and in person. All the interviewees were working as classroom teachers or special class teachers that had taught visual arts to primary school students. According to the study, classroom teacher’s views in participation and agency could be categorized as opportunities to influence, personal experiences of meaningfulness and active acts. The views in promoting participation and agency in school and in visual arts education adapted the above-mentioned categories. Participation and agency were promoted via social and political means. The opportunities to impact were associated to both political and everyday decision-making. Promoting student’s identities and internal motivation were emphasized in the personal experiences of meaningfulness. Active acts consisted of dialogical and interactive working methods that emphasized responsibility among students.

Aims. The aim of this study is to examine what children that take part in a sport club in their spare time think about physical education (PE) classes and groups. The study examines the children’s thoughts on exercising in coeducational PE. This study focuses also on their parents’ views. The parents were asked to describe their thoughts on same-sex and coeducational PE. Methods. Eight children between classes 3 to 5 that take part in sports club activities during their spare time participated in this study. At least one of each child’s parents also took part in the study. The data was collected through semi structured interviews in May 2018. The research method in this study was a data based qualitative content analysis. Results and conclusions. The results state that the children who take part in sports club activities during their spare time, have a positive attitude on PE classes. The positive view was justified through different disciplines, variety, functionality and one’s own sporty background. Half of the children wished to participate in a coeducational group and the other half in a same-sex group in PE class. Arguments in favour of coeducational PE were the atmosphere in class, positive challenges and the fact that there is no real reason to separate boys and girls into different groups. Arguments against coeducational PE were the physical differences of pupils, problems with working in peace, hobbyism and the gender juxtaposition. According to this study, all parents supported coeducational PE. Some parents indicated that PE classes could occasionally be organized in same-sex groups, especially if physical sports are practised during the class. The parents also stated arguments in favour of coeducational PE. The arguments were divided into two categories: educating children to become members of society and increasing diversity in PE.

In a mediated society, the importance of media education is emphasised, and it is important that media education and news are processed with children and young people in schools. News aimed at children offer teachers a good way to discuss about current affairs with children, as well as provide media education. This study examines how news and current topics are handled in primary schools and utilized as part of teaching. The study also examines the importance of news aimed at children for teachers and pupils. The subject of the study is Helsingin Sanomat’s Children's News, a news media aimed at children in Helsingin Sanomat. Children's news is commonly utilized in schools, but there is no information on how Children’s news is used in schools. In addition, research on the educational use of news and news for children is largely focused on international research, so the aim of this study is also to produce research information on the topic specifically in the Finnish context. This study is a qualitative case study that examined Children's news in educational use and also teachers' and pupils’ experiences on educational use of and more generally on Children's news. The data of this study consisted of semi-structured themed interviews with primary school teachers and of a teaching experiment which was conducted on the basis of the interviews. The data in the experiment was collected from primary school pupils using a questionnaire and semi-structured themed interviews. The data was collected in two phases in 2021 and 2022. The method of analysis for both data sets was qualitative content analysis. Based on this study, Children's news was utilized in teaching weekly and specifically as part of the actual teaching. The Children's news broadcast, which most of the pupils also mentioned that they liked, was exploited the most in the teaching. Children's news was used most frequently in Finnish language and literature lessons, but also, for example, as part of the work on transversal competence skills such as learning skills. Educational situations with Children’s news were not usually very planned and the planning appeared particularly as checking the news topics beforehand as well as by the acquisition of any additional information. The main methods of teaching with Children's News were discussions and written methods of working. Interviews with teachers also highlighted the importance of handling news in teaching, as well as the importance of news aimed specifically to children. Pupils also felt that following the news was a positive thing and being informed about world events was important. The results show that Children's News offers opportunities for a wide range of uses in primary school education, including media education, integrative instruction and as part of the work on transversal competence skills. I hope that this study will provide examples and perspectives on educational use of news and media education and encourages to use of the news as part of teaching.

Lukuklaani-hanke alkoi syksyllä 2017 ala- ja yhtenäiskoulujen koulukirjastojen kehittämiskilpailulla. Hankkeen ensimmäisen osion yhteydessä kerättiin tutkimusaineisto alakoulun kirjallisuuskasvatuksesta. Kilpailuun osallistuneille kouluille lähetettiin kirjallisuuskasvatuksen keinoja kartoittava kysely. Kysely koostuu 58 kysymyksestä, ja se sisältää niin monivalintoja kuin avokysymyksiä. Kyselyyn vastasi 885 opettajaa ala- ja yhtenäiskouluista ympäri Suomen. Vastaajista 722 opettajaa työskentelee Lukuklaani-hankkeen koulukirjastojen kehittämiskilpailuun osallistuneissa kouluissa eli hankekouluissa ja 163 opettajaa satunnaisotannalla valituissa kouluissa eli otoskouluissa. Tässä tutkimuksessa selvitetään hyviä ideoita ja tapoja kirjallisuuden käytöstä opetuksessa. Tutkimuksen aineistona on Lukuklaani-hankkeen kyselyn kysymys 45: “Kerro hyvistä ideoista ja tavoista, joilla olet käyttänyt kirjallisuutta opetuksessa”. Kysymys on samalla tutkimuksen tutkimuskysymys. Kysymykseen 45 vastasi 157 suomenkielisen opetuksen opettajaa, ja vastaukset sisältävät 0–9 keinoa vastaajasta riippuen. Lopullisen aineiston muodostaa 251 yksittäistä ideaa ja tapaa, jotka on ryhmitelty sisällönanalyyttisin menetelmin. Sisällönanalyysin prosessi on tutkimuksessa ainestolähtöinen: analyysin ryhmät pohjautuvat aineistosta syntyviin havaintoihin, eivät valmiiseen teoriaan. Analyysin kytkökset teoriaan ovat kuitenkin havaittavissa. Kvantitatiivista sisällönanalyysiä käytetään osoittamaan eri tapojen yleisyyksiä tässä aineistossa, mutta niiden pohjalta ei voida tehdä yleistyksiä, koska aineisto on sen verta suppea. Sisällönanalyysin rinnalla kulkee metodina diskurssinanalyysi, jonka avulla selvitetään, kuinka hyvät tavat ja ideat määritellään sekä miten eri työtapoja arvioidaan tai arvotetaan. Vastauksista 55 % koskee lukemaan innostamisen keinoja (N=138) ja loput 45 % koskevat kirjallisuuden opetuksen keinoja (N=117). Kirjallisuuden opetuksen keinot jakautuvat kirjallisuuden käsittelyyn, kirjallisuuden käyttöön muussa opetuksessa. Osa kirjallisuuden opetukseen liittyvistä vastauksista koskee kirjallisuuden opetuksen tapojen arviointia. Kirjallisuuden käsittelyssä korostuvat elämykselliset käsittelytavat, joiden avulla oppilas pääsee työstämään lukukoke-mustaan yksin ja yhdessä toisten kanssa. Kirjallisuuden rooli muiden aineiden opetuksessa on usein inspiraation lähteenä toimiminen tai kirjallisuutta käytetään aineistona jonkin asian opettelussa. Lukemaan innostamisen keinot jakautuvat neljään ryhmään: koulun lukupuitteisiin, yhteisöllisen lukemisen keinoihin, ulkoiseen motivaatioon nojaaviin tapoihin ja kirjalliseen elämään osallistamisen keinoina. Suurin osa vastauksista liittyy koulun lukupuitteisiin: kirjallisuuden saatavuuteen, lukemiseen käytettävään aikaan, fyysisen oppimisympäristön lukumukavuuteen ja sosiaalisiin puitteisiin. Ulkoisen motivaation keinoihin kuuluvat erilaiset keräilyt ja lukemisesta palkitseminen. Yhteisölliseen lukemiseen liittyy toimintatapoja, joissa kirjan kanssa tehdään jotain yhdessä. Vastauksissa korostuu yhteisölliset lukutavat. Kirjalliseen elämään osallistamisen keinot laajentavat lukuelämyksiä usein koulun ulkopuolelle ja erilaisiin kirjalliseen kulttuuriin liittyviin tapahtumiin. Aineiston pohjalta ei voida tehdä yleistyksiä siitä, missä tai miten kirjallisuutta hyödynnetään erityisen paljon tai mikä kirjallisuuskasvatuksen tapa on käytetyin tai tehokkain. Sen sijaan tämä tutkimus antaa välähdyksiä ja ideoita siitä, kuinka kirjallisuutta voidaan hyödyntää opetuksessa ja millaisia kirjallisuuskasvatuksen keinot voivat olla. Suhteellisen runsas ja heterogeenin aineisto kielii siitä, että opettajilla on ideoita monenlaiseen tekemiseen. Tämän tutkimuksen perusteella hyvät ideat ja tavat ovat sellaisia, jotka innostavat ja motivoivat joko kirjallisuuden käsittelyyn tai kirjan lukemiseen. Vastauksissa ei kuitenkaan näy kodin ja koulun välinen yhteistyö tai oppilaiden tekstimaailman hyödyntäminen osana kirjallisuuden opetusta. Oppilaslähtöisyys nousee esiin yksittäisinä mainintoina mahdollisuutena valita luettava kirja tai kirjallisuuden käsittelytapa. Tämä on linjassa aiempien tutkimusten kanssa, joissa esitetään kirjallisuuden opetuksen kehittämistä oppilaslähtöisemmäksi. Kirjallisuuden opetus vaatii edelleen kehittämistä, jotta se tukisi lasten ja nuorten lukuharrastusta.

Tiivistelmä - Referat - Abstract Objectives. Sexuality is a part of humanity. Sexuality develops through our lives and includes various stages of growth and development. Sex education is part of human rights and WHO (World Health Organization) has defined Europe wide standards for sex education. Previous studies show that sex education increases more knowledge and strengthens the child’s self-esteem. On the other hand, studies have shown teachers experiencing sex education challenging and they need further education on it. The aim of this research was to determine perceptions and experiences of primary school teachers about sex education. Methods. The data of this qualitative research was collected by interviewing five primary school teachers. The material is analyzed by the method of analysis of the content. Interviews are transcribed and transcribed material decrypted into sections sorted by the topic. These themes emerged from the data itself and on research issues. By using content analysis, the purpose was to create a view of teacher’s perceptions and experiences and reflect them with the theoretical frame of reference of research. Results and conclusions. Teachers considered sex education important and relevant. The world is changing all the time and teacher’s knowledge should keep up with the change. Content areas of sex education were mainly familiar to teachers, but some flaws in their knowledge were also found. Teachers perceived the subject as a natural thing, but they also identified the challenging nature of the subject. Sex education raised some uncertainty among teachers which was mostly due to lack of education. Further education of teachers would improve sex education on primary schools and strengthens teachers’ faith in themselves as sex educators.

Objectives. According to the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2013 results Finnish elementary school teachers do not receive enough feedback about their performance. The ethical guidelines published by the Finnish Trade Union of Education outline that teachers should aim at understanding each student’s thinking and opinions. The Finnish basic education’s core curriculum (POPS 2014) that takes effect in the fall of 2016 highlights the importance of student involvement. The main objective of this study was to examine the value of students’ feedback in elementary schools. In addition, this study examines the reliability of elementary school students’ feedback. The aim is also to increase the interest towards students’ feedback among Finnish educators. The theoretical framework of this study consists of the personality Rogers’s theory on personality development, Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory and Erikson’s theory on psychosocial development. Methodology. The study was implemented as a systematic literature review. The scientific material consisted of ten English-language peer-reviewed articles. Two of the articles were published in England, two in Holland, one in Belgium, one in Norway, three in the United States and one in Australia. The research material included also one Swedish-language doctoral dissertation published in Sweden. Results and conclusions. Soliciting feedback from students had a positive effect on both teachers and students. The students appreciated that teachers were interested in their opinions. The teachers received useful information related to the children’s views on school- and teacher-related issues. The answers provided by the children were to a large extent reliable. Doing research on teacher-student relationships and students’ feedback in Finnish elementary schools can provide valuable information to teachers and educators alike. Examining the silent information among students may foster stronger mutual understanding and interaction between teachers and students, increase the teachers’ job motivation and support the students’ learning.

Aims. Touch is a part normal human interaction, in school too. By touching, people show for example friendship and empathy to one another. Touch has also a lot of significant positive effects on child's development and human well-being. On the other hand, touching is associated with norms and negative feelings that emerge especially when discussing touching in school. The purpose of this master's thesis was to find out, describe and analyse what kind of touching behaviour there is in the 6th grade interaction and who are the touch initiators. Other purpose of this thesis was also to bring more positive perspective to the discussion about touching in school. Methods. The data for this master's thesis was collected by observing 6th grade's Finnish and mathematics lessons. There were 6 lessons in total and they were recorded on video. The study was a qualitative case study. The analysis was made by applying a combination of quantification and content analysis. The touches that were observed from the videos were calculated and tabulated. After that the touches were categorized and the touch situations were described in detail. Results and conclusions. The physical interaction between pupils was mainly friendly and teasing. There was not any touching behaviour that would refer to bullying or violence. Touching between girls was a little more common than touching between boys, but otherwise there was not much difference in the two genders' touching behaviour. Physical interaction between teacher and pupils was very little. When a teacher touched a pupil, the touch was either encouraging or guiding. Because of the nature of case study, the results cannot be generalized. The results, however, give a good picture of the touching behaviour in the five 6th grade lessons observed.

Tavoitteet. Kosketusta on viimeaikaisessa tutkimuksessa alettu tarkastelemaan osana vuorovai-kutusta voimakkaana viestinnän keinona. Sen on todettu olevan luontainen osa kouluyhteisössä tapahtuvaa kanssakäymistä. Koulukontekstissa opettajien on havaittu käyttävän kosketusta muun muassa keinona auttaa suoriutumaan, keskittymään, rauhoittumaan ja suuntaamaan huo-miota pedagogisesti tavoitteen mukaiseen toimintaan. Kosketuksen on todettu olevan myös tapa luoda kontaktia oppilaaseen ja näin rakentavan opettajaoppilassuhdetta. Tässä tutkielmassa ta-voitteena on hahmottaa kuvaa kosketuksen roolista alakoulukontekstissa keskittyen erityisesti opettajan ja oppilaan välisen kosketuskulttuurin tarkastelemiseen. Tutkimuksen tehtävänä on jäsentää ymmärrystä kosketuksen ilmiöön liittyen koulukontekstissa. Tarkoituksena on tarkas-tella, minkälainen merkitys kosketuksella on kouluikäiselle lapselle sekä jäsentää opettajan ja oppilaan välisen kosketuksen asemaa alakoulun arjessa. Menetelmät. Aiheesta tehtiin kuvaileva narratiivinen kirjallisuuskatsaus. Tutkielma aloitettiin asettamalla tutkimuskysymykset, jotka ohjasivat aineiston valintaprosessia. Eksplisiittiselle va-lintaprosessille tyypillisesti keskiössä oli löydösten sisältö, mikä teki aineistonvalintaprosessis-ta jatkuvasti tutkimuskysymyksiä ja aineistovalintoja tarkentavan. Aineistoa valikoitui lopulta 12 julkaisun verran. Näistä 10 oli artikkeleita, kaksi kirjoja ja yksi Opetusalan eettisen neuvotte-lukunnan kannanotto. Sisällönanalyysimenetelmänä käytettiin aineistolähtöistä analyysiä, jonka avulla pyrkimyksenä oli jäsentää laaja-alaisesti aiempaa tietoa mielekkääseen, eheään ja järjes-tettyyn muotoon. Tulokset ja johtopäätökset. Kosketuksen merkitys lapselle on kiistaton. Sen kautta rakentuva opettajaoppilassuhde ja vuorovaikutuksellisuus tukevat lapsen hyvinvointia, viihtyvyyttä ja turvallisuudentunnetta. Ammatillisesti käytössä oleva kosketus tukee pedagogista toimintaa. Se näyttäytyy oppilaiden toimintaa ohjaavana, lohdutusta ja välittämistä ilmentävänä sekä oppilaan oppimista auttavana opettajan keinona. Kosketuksen moninaista ja monitulkintaista ilmiötä kou-lukontekstissa ohjaavat yleiset ja vakiintuneet normit sekä säädökset. Kosketuksen sensitiivi-nen luonne ja epäsopivat tapaukset ovat tehneet keskustelusta ja kosketukseen suhtautumisesta jännittynyttä, mikä on vaikuttanut myös tavalliseen kosketuksen kautta ilmentyvään kanssa-käymiseen. Ammatillisesti perustellutkin tilanteet saattavat saada monenlaisia tulkintoja, minkä on huomattu aiheuttavan opettajissa epävarmuutta ja pelkoa.

The National Core Curriculum for Basic Education 2014 provides an opportunity to teach Home Economics as a part of optional studies in primary schools. The National Curriculum emphasizes transversal competence, integrated curriculum and phenomenon-based learning. Integrative instruction, and approaching other subjects in the context of everyday life is the core of Home Economics. Until the 2016 Home Economics was mainly only taught in secondary and high schools and the goals for the competence and subject matter for teaching Home Economics in primary school is still not set in the National Curriculum. Consequently, there are no comprehensive educational material for Home Economics at the primary school level. Seven Master’s theses are completed with the focus on Home Economics in primary schools in 1990’s and 2010’s. There has been a demand for bringing back and re-branding Home Economics in international research field and discussions. Bringing Home Economics to primary schools can be seen as a step towards developing it into a subject that supports students’ growth as a human being throughout their studies by teaching important life skills. The aim of this study is to make groundwork to facilitate the planning of local curriculums, in-service education and teaching materials. The research data were collected by conducting nine expert interviews. The interviewees were selected to give the widest possible frame for Home Economics with different backgrounds like experience in teaching, writing teaching materials, working in third sector related to the field and being part of making the National Core Curriculum. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The results of this study show that Home Economics is perceived as relevant and meaningful subject due to comprehensive life skills it teaches. It is important to teach Home Economics also in primary schools because learning those skills is worthwhile for all ages. Teaching Home Economics should be based on a complex and rich interpretation of the subject and the aims set in the curriculum. That is the only way the significance and effectiveness of the subject can come to fruition. Attention should be paid to the versatility of teaching materials and to provision of adequate in-service education to those who teach Home Economics in primary schools in order to ensure that the objectives of the subject are met.

Aim of the study. Educating students to become active citizens has become more and more common in Finnish comprehensive schools. Civic knowledge and skills training is not a separate subject in Finnish primary schools (grades 1-6). In the 2004 national core curriculum for basic education civic knowledge and skills training is integrated within the other subjects. To what extent the civic education is included in everyday teaching depends a lot on the teacher. For this reason the amount of civil education can differ a lot depending on a particular class and school. Teacher's own knowledge, skills and attitude towards civic education has a strong influence on how civic education can be seen in the classroom. The aim of the study is to find out how a class of sixth graders and their teacher from the Helsinki metropolitan area see civic education in their classroom. Methods. 25 sixth graders and their teacher from a school in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area participated in the study. This study is a qualitative case study that includes different types of research data. The research data from the teacher was collected by interview. Students had written earlier essays about democracy that used in the study. The students also answered a questionnaire with open-ended questions that included questions about their possibilities to influence in matters of the classroom. research data was analysed by using qualitative content analysis. Both theory and content based analyses were used in this study. Results and conclusions. The results shows that the teacher and the students both feel that democracy is a relevant and important issue to be considered in the classroom. The students had a very positive view of democracy and how it worked in the classroom. Although the students participation in decision making was usually limited to matters outside teaching, most students felt that they had enough influence in the classroom. Based on the results, it can be said that the teacher has with teaching successfully supported her students to become active citizens.