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Technology is constantly becoming a more significant part of society and schools. This trend is also reflected in the Finnish curriculum for primary and secondary schools (2014) where technological proficiency is identified as one of the greater goals for education. Online education in COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 brought significant changes in the use of technology in education. Teachers were required to adapt quickly and enhance their technological skills. This study examines the attitudes of primary school teachers towards the use of technology in education and whether online education has had an impact on teachers' attitudes. Furthermore, the research explores the factors that impact the utilization of technology by elementary school teachers. The research data was collected through interviews with six primary school teachers. The interviews were conducted as semi-structured interviews, incorporating elements of narrative interviewing to formulate questions. The collected data was analysed using narrative and qualitative content analysis methods. The attitudes of all the interviewed primary school teachers appear to be more positive after online education. Two teachers with previous negative attitudes now exhibit much more positive outlooks than before, while three teachers with neutral attitudes appear slightly more positive, and one teacher who already had a positive attitude seems even more optimistic. Online education also improved the teachers' technological skills, expanding their understanding of the new possibilities that technology offers in education. This enhancement of skills likely contributed to the improved attitudes. Using technology in education poses challenges. Technological devices and software used in schools are continuously evolving, necessitating ongoing efforts from teachers to adapt to new technologies. There also appears to be a shortage of further training and other assistance for using technologies. Previous research supports the need for additional training. According to earlier studies, some schools have deficiencies in their equipment, which raises concerns about inequality in education. The teachers I interviewed stated that support from colleagues is crucial. This aligns with findings in previous studies.

The aim of the thesis was to describe the effects that the distance learning period, caused by the Corona pandemic, had on the field of Finnish liberal adult education, from the viewpoint of senior students. The main research question was the following 1) What are the reasons for the senior student to choose between distance learning and contact learning. In addition to liberal adult education, this thesis addresses traditional adult education, life-long learning, as well as distance learning phenomena. The thesis emphasises how liberal adult education has adapted to distance learning and how the senior students, who were used to the traditional classroom learning situation, now prefer to learn. The study method was mixed. The thesis was set on the study field of adult education and voluntary learning. The study was conducted via a voluntary questionnaire, which included open questions and multiple-choice questions. The thesis material consisted of the answers made by the senior students N = 188. The material was analysed with the methods of content analysis, as well as numerically. The written sources included international articles, scientific studies, and books. The thesis concluded that the senior students have vastly different kinds of viewpoints on what is good learning and teaching. The senior students are not a homogenic group that share similar pref-erences. Only a small majority of the study sample preferred contact teaching in a classroom to dis-tance learning. Those who preferred contact teaching felt the sense of community important. Rather than the technological side of online learning, the social and pedagogical side proved out to be a bigger explanation why they do not wish to take part in distance learning classes. Preferring either of the studying methods is not only connected to a person’s skillset, resources, and home support but to the content and substance of the course itself. Hybrid teaching was noted to be in demand in the answers of the students. Organizing it might challenge the institutes of liberal adult education. The role of Finnish liberal adult education in the future is providing accessible, voluntary, and equal education for everyone.