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Objectives. The development plan for education and research 2003 - 2008 (report of the Ministry of Education) highlights the development and promotion of special education and integration. In the end of the year 2007, there was Special education strategy published, a proposal for a long-term strategy for the development of special education in pre- and primary schools. Today there are a growing number of special education pupils studying in their neighbourhood schools and in regular teaching groups. Class teachers are so confronting new challenges in their classes. It is pointed out in the researches that teachers' positive attitudes and professional skills are essential for successful mainstreaming / inclusion in schools. The object of this thesis is to examine primary school class teachers' conceptions of working and teaching in the regular education which include special education pupils. This issue will be approached by these research problems: what kind of conceptions do teachers who work in basic education with special education pupils have, what kind of significance does teachers education has for these conceptions, what kind of significance does teachers work experience has for their working and is there a some kind of connection between teacher's conceptions and the nature of special education pupil's disability? Methods. In the spring 2009, the half structured questionnaire was send to all primary schools in Helsinki (N=86). One class teacher in each school was asked to fill in the questionnaire. Altogether 38 teachers answered this questionnaire. The data was analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Structured questions were processed by using the SPSS- statistics program and qualitative questions were analyzed by using content analysis. Results and conclusions. Class teachers were satisfied with their work and most of them felt that they master the teaching situations sufficiently. They reported that they get support and help most from the special needs assistants and special education teachers but they also felt that they need it more from them. Remedial instruction- lessons were also needed more. Those who had the class teacher qualification got a bit more support from special education teachers than those without qualification. Both, longer work experience and studies of special pedagogy correlated with the amount of help from the assistant. There was also positive connection between the work experience and the amount of remedial instruction. Teachers urge for updating education was clearly shown in this study. About half of these teachers wished more education related to special needs pupils / education. Teachers felt that the lack of time is the most challenging in their work. About half of the teachers felt that the regular studying environment supports special education pupils well or very well and felt mainstreaming valuable for all. They pointed out that the nature and the degree of disability is relevant. They felt that pupils with behavioral difficulties had most negative influence for the whole class, and felt themselves helpless and frustrated because of these pupils.

The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to research how elementary school teachers implement the assessment in physical education after the reform of the assessment and evaluation in physical education. The purpose is also to find out, what kind of changes the new National Core Curriculum for Basic Education has brought to the assessment in physical education. The theory consists of assessment in elementary school, physical education and pupil assessment in physical education. Student assessment both in general and concerning physical education is presented by exploring among other things the Basic Education Act, the Basic Education Decree and the National Core Curriculum for Basic education (2014, 2004). The different nature of physical education as a school subject compared to other school subjects is also being covered. The research was executed as a qualitative research using e-form interview as the interview method. The e-form was sent to the teachers via e-mail and they all answered to the questions alone. Three physical education teaching elementary school teachers from southern Finland were interviewed for the research. They had all been a part of my Bachelor’s thesis’ research, too. The dataset was gathered in April 2018. The analysis of the dataset was executed by using theory directive content analysis with which the dataset was divided into seven different upper categories. These upper categories divided again under two main categories which were the implementation of the assessment in physical education and the teachers' views on the assessment. The research showed that teachers implement the assessment in PE quite similarly. The biggest change comparing to the teachers’ history in implementing the assessment in physical education was that the teachers used the assessment methods more diversely. They had mostly added a lot of self-evaluation and peer evaluation to their teaching in physical education. The research also revealed that all the teachers keep the National Core Curriculum for Basic Education as the premise of their assessment. The teachers emphasized in their assessment especially the pupils’ attitude towards physical education and their working skills, and their learning process in physical education, which are the fields that the National Core Curriculum for Basic Education (2014) orders to assess in physical education.

According to the National Core Curriculum for Basic Education (2014), out-of-school learn-ing environments, such as museums, should be used more in education. However, there has been only little research on the point of view of museums in Finland. The purpose of this study was to find out class teachers’ perceptions of museum visits’ purposefulness. In addi-tion, the aim was to find out how class teachers conduct museum education and what kind of things classroom teachers need to take into account when visiting in museums. The study was conducted as a qualitative interview study. The interviews were attended by six class teachers from classes 4−6. The interviews were conducted as theme interviews in December 2017 and January-February 2018. The collected material was analysed by theo-retical content analysis. The analysis followed the analytical phases of the qualitative inter-view study process of Ruusuvuori, Nikander and Hyvärinen (2010). All the teachers regarded museum visits positively. Museums were experienced as authen-tic, inspiring, experiential and functional learning environments. However, according to inter-viewees, teachers cannot leave to museum without proper pre-planning. Also the handling of museum visit in the school requires advance planning. Most of all the teachers seem to uti-lize guided tours and other ready-made materials provided by museums. The teachers themselves were not very motivated to plan and produce working methods in museums. During the museum visit, the teachers felt primarily responsible for supervising the work of students and maintaining order. Although museums were perceived as good learning envi-ronments, it was difficult for teachers to associate visits to other classroom teaching. Most of all the teachers joined museum visits to the contents and the aims of history and art subjects. On the other hand, teachers see museum visits as common knowledge. The biggest chal-lenge for museum visits were the lack of money, museums’ constraints and poor guides.

Aim of the study. The aim of this study was to examine the factors behind teacher segregation. More precisely, the study was limited to factors that, according to teachers' perceptions, influence teachers' decisions to change jobs within the field. Teacher segregation refers to differences between schools in teachers' qualifications, turnover and commitment to pedagogical work. Growing differences between schools can lead to a strain on teachers' workload and work environment, for example in schools with a weaker socio-economic status. Regionally uneven distribution of teachers can lead to differentiation of teachers, students' learning results and differentiated working conditions in schools. The purpose of this study was to increase understanding of the factors affecting teacher turnover. Methods. The data of the study consisted of ten interviews with class teachers. Data was produced as part of the KOTOPE- project funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The interviews were conducted in the spring of 2023 and the material was analyzed using phenomenographic analysis. The results of the study formed a horizontal description category system, which formed the result space. The result space consisted of description categories, which were employment relationship and employee profile, management, student subject and work environment, and the regional location of the school. Results and conclusions. Based on the results, it can be stated that there was teacher turnover between the schools. Based on the results, it can be assumed that the form of employment, management, student composition and regional location of the school are factors affecting teacher turnover. These results were in line with previous studies. Teachers' decision to change school was particularly influenced by, for example, a fixed-term employment relationship, professional incompetence, lack of support from the administrative manager, the principal's controlling or indifferent leadership style, challenging student composition, student behavior disorders, a reduction in the number of students at the school (reduction in the number of lessons).

Teachers often find classroom management challenging and it is usually also one of the main concerns for novice teachers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the construction of pedagogical authority. Another research topic was classroom management and challenges experienced in it. The analysis of the research focused on interviews with both novice teachers and teachers with longer experience in the field. The study was carried out as a qualitative study. The material of the research consisted of interviews with a total of eight classroom teachers, four where in the early stages of their career and the other four had more than ten years of experience working as classroom teachers. The interviews were conducted as semi-structured, and the transcribed material was analyzed by data-driven content analysis. The results are based on four main categories formed by content analysis. Pedagogical authority and classroom management went hand in hand in the results of the research, and four different categories can be outlined in the structure of the category. These were the systematicity of the teacher's activities, the teacher-student relationship, the certainty brought by work experience and well-being at work. Through systematic activities, teachers create structure to the classroom, which helps students in turn to get used to working separately through routines. The interaction between the teacher and the student is of great importance for the creation of a mutual trust relationship. Also well-being at work and the skills gained through work experience appear as factors affecting pedagogical authority and classroom management. The most significant research results were the struggle experienced by novice teachers between the gentleness and strictness of their actions, and the perceptions of experienced teachers about the deterioration of the mental and physical health of children and young people which affected to their experiences of changed classroom dynamics.

The aim of this study is to describe, analyse and interpret teacher's perceptions on temperament and effects of temperament on student evaluations. There's hardly any research done in Finland on how class teacher's receive temperament and how it effects evaluations. The subject is important to further research since each student will be evaluated throughout their school years. There were two research questions: 1. What is the teacher's level of knowledge on temperament? 2. How does temperament effect on students evaluation? Research methodology: Answers to research questions were searched by interviewing six (6) classteachers and by analyzing their answers through Grounded theory and through content analysis. Results and conclusions: Teachers had not really received any education on temperament during their studies. Part of the teachers had searched information on temperament outside of their studies. However teachers had some kind of perception on temperament (inherent way to function and to react in different situations) and the different features of temperament (activity level, shyness etc.). Temperament seems to have effect on student evaluations relating to learning, working and behavior even that according to the Perusopetuksen Opetussuunnitelman perusteet 2014 (Foundation teaching Learning Plan) students temperament should not have effect on evaluation. On the other hand in the same document teacher's are obligated to evaluate working methods and behavior as a part of subject grade. Therefore teachers have contradictory instructions on how evaluations should be performed.

Changes in the education system are often preceded by a vision of the future labor market situation. In January 2020, following a flagship project in Juha Sipilä ́s government ́s strategic program, the teaching of A1 language was stated early in the first grade and the class teachers were given a new subject to teach. The aim of this study was to find out classroom teachers ́ perceptions of early language learning and working methods. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, in March 2020, it was necessary to switch to distance learning. The new teaching arrangements provided an opportunity to explore the link between the distance learning system for classroom teachers and the working methods of early language teaching. In addition, I studied classroom teachers ́ perceptions of the need to support both student learning and the organization of teaching in early language teaching. The material for this qualitative study was collected through a semi-structured thematic interview. I interviewed five classroom teachers and one special classroom teacher who had started early language teaching in January 2020. The transcripts of the interviews formed the material, which I analyzed according to the analysis of the phenomenographic study. In the analysis, I classified descriptive categories from the data, with which I presented the research results. The survey showed that some classroom teachers felt that they had received too little in-service training in the new subject being taught and they were unsure of their competence. Other classroom teachers felt they received adequate in-service training and the teaching was meaningful. Everyone had positive experiences, especially of students ́ enthusiasm and motivation for early language. The different learning difficulties of the students were perceived as challenges. The experience of learning support for students as well as teaching support varied slightly. Classroom teachers used functional, varied ways of working, as well as songs and games. In distance learning, working methods changed completely. Only half of the classroom teachers held early language lessons or small sessions weekly remotely. Students were sent links to the topics they were studying, and the responsibility for teaching and the student ́s support were largely transferred to the parents. The goals of early language teaching had to be compromised. As a key conclusion, I can say that classroom teachers need adequate in-service training that takes into account the different needs of teachers. To ensure the quality of teaching, many classroom teachers want to clearer guidance on what goals and how to proceed in early language. Closer co-operation with subject teachers would increase the confidence of classroom teachers to provide the right kind of teaching and support for students in early language learning.

Objectives. Character-strengths-based (CSB) pedagogy stems from positive psychology’s PERMA theory. CSB pedagogy has been studied in Finland to an increasing extent since the 2010s and internationally since the early 2000s. The research results show it has positive effects on, for example, support for the inclusive school system, student well-being, learning motivation among students with special needs, and student participation. The aim of this research was to find out what kind of experiences and perceptions class teachers have about the importance and implications of becoming aware of, acknowledging, and developing character strengths. This research was also interested in what significances CSB pedagogy has among students with neuropsychiatric abnormalities according to class teachers, as well as classroom teachers’ perceptions of 5th–6th graders’ awareness of their own character strengths. One hypothesis was that classroom teachers perceive CSB pedagogy to be particularly important with ADHD students. Another hypothesis was that CSB pedagogy is used in Finnish primary schools with a very varying volume and in different ways. Methods. This research included both interview and questionnaire surveys. The analysis was carried out both qualitatively and quantitatively and by means of mixed methods. Interview material was six classroom teachers. Questionnaire was 106 respondents. Results and conclusions. Results support the use of CSB pedagogy in primary school. Perceived ease of using CSB pedagogy, the school's commitment to CSB pedagogy, and the perceived guidance to CSB pedagogy in national core curriculum for basic education have the biggest effect on the perceived importance of CSB pedagogy. One of the general views of the effects of CSB pedagogy was that it had beneficial effects on school-positivity and classroom atmosphere. The interview material much emphasized the preventive role of CSB pedagogy, especially among students with behavioral challenges or ADHD.

Aims. All students, regardless of their capacity, should be offered impartial learning opportunities. Usually, it is well attended that each student will achieve learning goals. The gifted students are often unrecognized and ignored in school in everyday life. We must learn to recognize gifted students to provide them teaching that corresponds to their abilities. The reliable identification of giftedness is challenging. The mathematically gifted student brings both challenges and opportunities for teaching. There is a variety of differentiation methods to be used in teaching mathematics depending on pupils' needs and on the resources of the schools. The purpose of this study was to find out how the class teachers define mathematically gifted students, to find out the differentiation ways of teaching mathematics and to find out the class teachers' experiences of differentiation in mathematics. Methods. The study was a qualitative case study. The survey was conducted by interviewing the three class teachers, who had been selected for the research because of their interest of differentiation in mathematics. The direction based content analysis was used for the analysis of the research material. Results and conclusions. The teachers recognized the features of mathematical giftedness in their pupils. However, it was challenging for them to identify whether the students are really gifted or only a very successful at school work. The teachers used many ways to differentiate teaching of mathematics. Especially functional teaching was used as a mean to differentiate teaching. The teachers' experiences of differentiation in mathematics were very positive. The results of the study can be used by class teachers when they plan their differentiation in mathematics.

Aims. The number of immigrant students has risen considerably during the last years in Finnish schools and will further rise in the future. In some schools in the Helsinki metropolitan area, immigrant students are already the majority, and it has been forecast that by the year 2030 every fourth student in Helsinki is an immigrant or has immigrant background. The growth of multilingualism has been recognized in the National Core Curriculum for Basic Education (2014) through language awareness in school culture and translanguaging, which is a relatively new concept in Finnish research. When there are more and more multilingual students in Finnish schools, it is important to study how class teachers experience multilingualism in schools. The aim of this study is to investigate 5th and 6th class teachers' experiences of students' mother tongue in school life and teaching. Methods. This study uses a qualititative approach. The research material was gathered through semi-structured interviews. Six teachers who have multilingual students in their classes were interviewed individually. The material was analyzed with phenomenographical analysis methods. Results and conclusions. According to the teachers, the variety of languages is taken into account in school life and in teaching to an extent. However, the teachers don't use translanguaging systematically as a teaching method. They believe that they have to know the students' languages in order to use them in teaching. The teachers think that it is important that students know their own mother tongue, and they encourage students to participate in classes teaching their own mother tongue. Even so, the teachers think that parents have the main responsibility of maintaining the students' skills in their own mother tongue. The teachers believe that students mostly learn Finnish quite quickly in their peer group at school. The teachers think that it is important that the students learn and know Finnish in order to e.g. prevent marginalization.