Browsing by department "Opettajankoulutuslaitos"

The purpose of this study was to gather information on what kind of experiences there are from the use of drama education in the Finnish early childhood education and pre-school education. The objective was to review existing studies, about the use of drama education from the perspective of children’s participation. The research problem was to find out how children's participation takes place and how kindergarten teacher supports children's participation in drama. Principles of drama education can be seen as supporting children's participation, but research data on its use in kindergartens is scarce. The purpose of this study is to increase knowledge about drama education benefits in supporting children's participation and to encourage kindergarten teachers to use drama education in their own work. Systematic literature review policies have been used in this study. Final studies for the literature review were selected using acceptance and exclusion criteria. The final studies are three Finnish doctoral studies. All the doctoral studies are individual case studies of the use of drama education in kindergarten. The original material was examined from the perspective of the research questions. They were analysed using content analysis methods, and the results were compiled together. All primary studies showed that drama was supporting children’s participation. Drama activities were characterized by children's opportunity to contribute, of children’s and adults’ collaboration, sense of community and the opportunity for individual participation. From kindergarten teacher the drama education required good pedagogic skills, commitment in the planning and implementation of the drama, daring to indulge in drama and courage to let go of the traditional authority position, flexibility, presence and sensitivity. The length of processes and kindergarten teachers’ previous experiences in the use of drama influenced in the results. The basis of this literature review was that drama education is a good way to enable child’s experience of participation and enhance a sense of community in the kindergarten.

Objectives. The aim of this study is to examine dumpster diving as a phenomenon and its part of every day life’s actions. The study examines also how dumpster divers reason their targets when acquiring abandoned goods. Society produces countless amounts of waste annually and dumpster diving is a way to re-use food or other commodities which are thrown away. Dumpster diving has often considered to be a way for poor and marginalised people to attain necessities, but previous studies have also presented that critical approach to consumer society, ecological and ethical values are linked to dumpster diving. This study approaches dumpster diving from every day life’s point of view. Methods. Five people around Finland attended to this qualitative study via Facebook, yet one of them cancelled her participation during interviews. Data was collected by organising a se-mi-structured theme interview which was conducted via phone conversation. I used abductive reasoning and other basic methods of qualitative research as analythical methods. Results and conclusions. For most of my subjects dumpster diving was occasional hobby and their goals were mostly hedonistic. For 75% of subjects reason for dumpster diving was to save money. Only one of four subjects reasoned his actions from ethical and ecological view. Based on this study’s results, dumpster diving seems to be only a way to consume among the other every day life’s actions instead of being an ethical objection.

Object. Ethical sensitivity is terminologically close to “social intelligence”, which is the new represented form of intelligence. Ethical sensitivity in practice means for example that how well an individual is able to cope with other people and legitimate one’s actions to others. In internet societies it’s a relevant factor when individuals form a new social rules among each other. The goal of the study was to describe the way ethical sensitivity manifests in a one of these societies, which has formed around a game-streaming channel in a streaming service. The subject interested me specially because the channel and streaming environment general involves lot of young people and different kind of information technology takes more and more of our time including youngsters. This study analyzes the streamers actions based on one thematic interview. It also introduces a new work ethic called “hacker ethics” and considers its possibilities among the workers in 21th century in new kinds of environments, which information technology makes possible. Method. The research method was a qualitative case study with a thematic interview. I interviewed one person who streams professionally. In addition, I participated to the channels activity to form a better understanding about the research environment. Conclusions. The streamer has on her/his channel unquestionable power as well as the responsibility of handling the channel. Since the ownership of the channel streamer gives guidelines about the approved behaviour in the channel. The streamer is able to show with her/his own choices one way of coping with different kind of conflict situations despite of biases people might have. Studies have shown that showing an example of approved behaviour might be helpful to decrease bullying via internet.

Aims. The new national core curriculum for basic education that defines aims for learning came into effect on 2016. That curriculum directs schools to use integrative teaching methods by foregrounding multidisciplinary themes. Though curriculum binds schools to use integrative approaches, the ways of implementation are left for every school to decide. Phenomena of integrative teaching have been described in the research literature with several terms depending on the era of research. Terms are not equivalent with each other that makes it difficult to compare researches of different times. In this thesis, the problem is solved by using the term phenomena of integrative teaching. It is used to describe all such methods of organizing teaching that lowers the borders between traditional school subjects. The aim of this study is to investigate how the phenomena of integrative teaching have been presented in Finnish national curriculums for basic education and how it is treated in research from the 1980s to the 2010s. Methods. This thesis is descriptive review and chosen articles are published either by the peer reviewed journals, the compilations of articles or state’s bureau of education. Most of the articles used were research reports on pedagogical experiments where researchers implemented the integrative methods of teaching between different school subjects or themes. Those articles were sorted by their topic when it was possible to compare them with different theories of integrative teaching methods. Results and conclusions. When gathering data for the thesis, it was noticed that it was difficult to find articles from the 1994 curriculum and it was also noticed that it didn’t have on chapter for integrative teaching methods. By the articles used, it can be observed that the most common way of implementing integrative teaching methods is to handle the same theme in two or more school subjects at the same time. However, the curriculum in use encourages teachers to take the integrative teaching even deeper and lower the barriers between different school subjects. Nevertheless, there is not yet research to be found on that kind of teaching and especially teachers experience, and conceptions should be studied more.

In this special education bachelor thesis I explored educational motivation and influences related to prison education by using qualitative analysis method. The material consisted of four half-structured theme interviews recorded and transcribed. The people interviewed were men aged between 26 and 42. They had educational experiences from vocational school, high school or university studies while incarcerated. When collecting the data the interviewees were no longer incarcerated or they were on parole, so the experiences of prison education were shared as tales from the past. Themes were gathered from the material and analysed against area’s theoretical framework. The theoretical framework shows that study on prison education’s area has traditionally had interest on employment and cost-effectiveness. Recently there have also been interest to explore prison education’s effect on self-image, cognitive and social skills on the person studying. Prison education correlates with lower recidivism. Finnish prison education seems not to be on the same level with the other Nordic countries. Prisoners are statistically low-educated, they have a lot of learning difficulties and prison as a learning environment has its own unique features. Agreements concerning human rights point clearly that all people must have possibility for life-long learning. It’s meaningful to develop prison education also by gathering experiences from people who have studied incarcerated. The educational motives discovered in the interview material of this study were viewed through the motivational categories structured by Manger, Eikeland and Asbjørnsen (2012): 1) future planning, 2) social reasons and escapism and 3) competence building (learning for the sake of learning). In the interview material of this bachelor thesis future planning and escapism were the most shown factors. Competence building was discovered indirectly in the material and social reasons were shown only slightly. In the analysis prison education’s influences were related both to sentence time and life after release. The themes formed in earlier studies and discovered also in this bachelor study’s interview material were getting a degree, better employment and stronger self-image. The new theme found was getting rid of the fear for school.

The purpose of my research is to describe what is outdoorlife and hiking in nature nearby in “Rain or shine” kindergartens from the view of kindergarten directors. “Rain or shine” is an operating model for environmental education and physical exercise in nature in early childhood education and in schools' afternoon clubs coordinated by Suomen Latu. The study was needed because the operating model was reformed in 2015 with the aim to expand the “Rain or shine” activities. The research problem is approached by considering two of the promises of “Rain or shine” which are "We promise to spend easygoing outdoorlife in rain or shine” and "We promise to hike in nature nearby at least three times a week". The research was qualitative and it was based on semi-structured interviews. I chose three of eight “Rain or shine” kindergartens for the interviews. These kindergartens located in different towns and they had different owners. I interviewed the directors of these three “Rain or shine” kindergartens. The interviews were carried out in March 2016. All the three interviews were recorded. The durations of the interviews varied from 60 minutes to 100 minutes. Afterwards the interviews were transcribed and analysed by temating the material by using the questions of the interviews. I found out that the outdoorlife is a natural and unseparated part of the activity in “Rain or shine” kindergartens' work. The easygoingness of outdoorlife was protected for example with good planning and preparation, limiting the group sizes, the flexibility of kitchen staff and intensive co-operation with the parents. Different seasons and weathers was not found as a problem when everybody had a necessery outdoor equipment. Kindergartens had from three to four different nature places nearby regularly in use. The nearest places were located behind the fence of the kindergarten. The furthest nature places were located 1,5 kilometres away from the kindergarten. Nature places were diverse and they offered variable possibilities for activities and playing. The hikes were organized mostly in the mornings and the duration was 1,5–5 hours. There were often a snack or a lunch also outside. The free and spontaneous play was emphasized during hikes. There occured mostly long-lasting and imaginative plays with the material and equipment found from nature. The regularity of having hikes was regarded important because it guaranteed the possibility to develop the long-lasting plays. It seems that the promises "We promise to spend easygoing outdoorlife in rain or shine" and "We promise to hike in nature nearby at least three times a week" are carried out in a comprehensive and committed way in “Rain or shine” kindergartens.

Objectives. In order to maintain a child’s interest and excitement for learning, development-appropriate differentiated instruction designed to fit the child’s needs and abilities is necessary. Failing to differentiate instruction for a linguistically gifted child may result in frustration, and a negative connotation towards learning altogether may arise. I chose differentiated instruction for gifted children as the subject of my thesis, as I’ve noticed the lack of its implementation in several preschools. The base theory of my thesis is built around the development of children’s linguistic skills, learning reading and writing, gifted children, differentiation and the Finnish preschool curriculum. The objective of this study is to examine how differentiated instruction of language learning is implemented in preschools and how pre-primary teachers view differentiation and its significance. Methods. The study was carried out using qualitative methods. Material was collected by interviewing five pre-primary teachers in Järvenpää in January 2019 and it was then analyzed with a theory-based content analysis. The book Onnistu eriyttämisessä – toimivan opetuksen opas (2018) by Roiha and Polso, and a five-part differentiation model the book contains, was used as the base theory for analyzation. I developed a categorization system for grouping results partly based on said model and partly by gathering information from my interview material. Lastly, I formed an analyzation frame, by which I was able to analyze results. Results and conclusions. Based on my findings, instruction was differentiated for gifted children via various methods. Especially varying difficulty of assignments, modifying learning environments, differentiation of learning material and adaptive situational grouping of children into skill-based groups stood out from the material. Differentiated instruction was thought to be highly significant among all interviewees. Even though differentiating instruction for gifted children was, on level of thought, considered to be as important as differentiation for children with challenges in learning, the latter was emphasized in everyday teaching.

The aim of the study was to influence the contents of sustainable development in the National curriculum guidelines on early childhood education and care (ECEC). Both sustainable lifestyle and ecosocial approach to education are already included in the set of values of the National core curriculum for basic education (2014). For the unity of the set of values guiding our early childhood education and basic education it is necessary that both sustainable lifestyle and ecosocial approach to education are also included in the ECEC. The three guiding values of ecosocial approach to education are responsibility, moderation and human interaction. The se-condary aim of this study was to find out how can early childhood education support the ful-filment of these values. The method used was qualitative interview study which also incorporated elements of operati-onal research. The type of interview method selected was semi-structured interview. In the stu-dy I interviewed three members of the 2016 ECEC´s steering group who participated in the wri-ting process of the new ECEC. First the interviews were transcribed and then the data gathered was analyzed. Mentions and ideas related to means for the support of education of values were located from the transcribed material. These were then categorized under three pre-selected themes which included 1) responsibility, 2) moderation and 3) human interaction. The analysis revealed themes related to the education of all three values. These included the model of beha-vior provided by the adult, reflections with the children and also actions and experiences that reflect the pre-selected values. The study also revealed specific means for the education of each value separately. Based on the study it can be stated that adults possess an essential role when it comes to sup-porting a child to internalize the values of ecosocial approach to education. The members of the steering group concluded that an adult example was essential in the transmission of values. In order for the values of ecosocial approach to education to be transmitted to the children they should first be internalized by the educators themselves. From the research rose also both the adults and the children´s reflections of right and wrong and the consequences of ones actions. Value based practical activities, planning these activities together with the children and enabling them to have experiences related to the values were also all seen important.

Aim. Animal-assisted activities are continually increasing as one of the alternative interventions, but the research on this subject has been relatively limited. The purpose of the study was to find out what kind of animal-assisted activity could support the child's autism spectrum in contact ability and communication skills, and whether animal aided activities could be one of the support measures needed for special children, especially children with autism spectrum. The purpose was to analyze what possible means of communication and contact had arisen in everyday life. In addition, the aim was to consider which methods of animal assisted activities could be activities that support communication and interaction. From the symptoms of autism spectrum the study emphasizes particularly the challenges of communication and social relationships. Methods. The study was conducted as a qualitative study and the study material was collected by interviewing parents whose children of autism had participated in animal assisted activities. There were three interviews and interviews were conducted in theme interviews in January and February 2018. The theme interview was aimed at making the interview situation open for discussion. The research product was a phenomenological approach. The aim of the interview was to find out the experiences of the parents. The material was transcribed and analyzed by substance-driven content analysis. Results. The study found that child contact and interaction skills had increased at the same time as the initiation of animal assisted activities. The development had been partly slow, and children needed time for construct the bond with the animal. There weren’t animal-assisted activities that supported children more than another animal-assisted activities because the different children had benefited from different activities. While the research material was small, no generalizable conclusions could be drawn, but the material referred to the fact that animal-assisted activities had supported the child in communication skills and contact ability. In the future, it would be useful to continue research with a larger study material and, for example, by observing the child.

Introduction. The purpose of this study was to find out what is adventure education and how could it be put into practice in the forest during comprehensive school’s home economics’ lesson. Some home economics researches have been done concerning nature and home economics but there’s no research about adventure education and home economics. This study tries to answer Finnish comprehensive school’s curriculum, National Core Curriculum for Basic Education 2014 that says: the teacher should use nature as a learning environment and one aim of the education is to teach sustainable lifestyle. I wanted to innovate how adventure education and forest as a learning environment could develop pupil’s home economics skills. I chose forest as a possible learning environment because there are forests everywhere in Finland. I studied adventure education, home economics’ research about how experiences are related to learning skills of home economics, theory of human ecology, and relationship between human and nature. Methods. This study is a descriptive literature review about adventure education literature. I wanted to receive an overview about the topic. I wanted to find answers to following questions: what is adventure education? What kind of learning environment forest could be during home economics’ lesson? I tried to find adequate information related to my topic. Conclusion. Based on my literature review, adventure education develops pupil’s personal growth, for example learning. It is possible to use adventure education as a pedagogical method in the comprehensive school during home economics’ lesson. Adventure education improves home economics’ skills such as cooperation skills. Experiences in the forest also improve pupil’s environmental thinking. This study can be used as a tool to use adventure education in home economics and to inspire those who are interested in adventure education.