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The aim of this study was to find out the using of the co-operative methods in the phenomenon-based learning way at the comprehensive school. After the publishing of the finnish study curriculum (2014) it has been spoken a lot about the phenomenon-based learning. The researches about the phenomenon based learning has published still quite little. In this research it is analyzed the occurrence of the co-operative working methods in the lessons of three different subjects (craft, music and mother language). The purpose of the research is also to find out the differences about the using of the co-operative methods between the school subjects. The target of this research was the school class which consist of the pupils in the pre-school, the first and the second classes. There were 18 children in craft and music lessons. In the lesson of mother language studied 14 pupils. There were not the pupils of the pre-school. The adults were either one or two in every lessons and two trainees. The data for this study was collected by video during the lessons. The data was analyzed using by theory-based content analysis. The was the case study. The results indicated, that there were used the co-operative methods in every videotaped les-sons. Anyway the differences how much the methods were used could find out between the lessons. There were used the clearly most the co-operative methods at craft lesson. The least they were used at music lesson. The difference between music and mother language was rather small. The using of the co-operative methods were natural and functional in the phenomenon-based learning in this research. The atmosphere was trusting which is the good starting point to use the co-operative methods.

Class teachers collaborate substantially with classroom assistants. However, teacher education does not include information about this kind of collaboration, and whether the students gain this type of collaboration experience is up to their own work life experiences. Yet collaboration with class assistants can be extremely helpful, both at the beginning of a teacher’s career and later on. There is little research on collaboration between class teachers and classroom assistants. In Finland Marjatta Takala has done the most research on this collaboration form. There is no research on collaboration between class teachers and classroom assistants in the context of primary education. The objective of this master’s thesis is to discover what kinds of views class teachers and classroom assistants have on collaboration in primary education. Additionally, this thesis’ objective is to discover how class teachers and classroom assistants would develop this collaboration in primary education. The objective of this thesis is to produce new information and thus support the researcher’s own teacherhood and the collaboration that will take place in work life. This thesis was conducted between March and August in 2021 by using qualitative methods. Five class teachers and five classroom assistants were interviewed as part of the thesis by using semi-structured interview method. The interviews were carried out remotely through Zoom. The data from the interviews was analysed with data based content analysis method. Class teachers and classroom assistants interpret collaboration in primary education as an extensive entity that consists of the class assistants’ role in primary education, factors that enable the collaboration and the specific qualities of collaboration in primary education. The issues needing further development in primary education’s collaboration are the time required for collaboration, education, working culture and the class assistants’ competence. According to this thesis’ results collaboration in primary education is multiprofessional collaboration with indications of shared expertise. It is possible to elaborate the study of collaboration with ethnographic methods by studying the significance of different grades or how shared expertise manifests itself in collaboration.

The aim of the research was to determine how educational convictions differ between teachers of different age groups and between teachers in six Finnish cities. The study focused on teachers teaching in the unified comprehensive schools. Previous studies on educational convictions of pre-school teachers indicated that pre-school teachers in Helsinki have put emphasis on child-centered pedagogy and community-oriented pedagogy. In the same research there was not found statistically significant differences between teachers on society-oriented pedagogy, curriculum-oriented pedagogy and on the pedagogy that emphasizes capable individuals' development. In my research I will try to find possible factors that may affect the teacher's educational convictions. The factors that concerned a teacher's background were gender, working environment, age, years of office, even the place of residence and finally the school size measured by number of pupils. The following three questions formed the research questions: How teacher's educational convictions differ in general? What kind of effect the teacher's working environment has on the conviction? Is it possible to find any other factors related to the teacher's background or experience, which will explain possible differences in convictions? The study was a quantitative survey. The survey was directed to teachers teaching in the comprehensive schools in six large cities that were chosen on a discretionary basis. The cities were Espoo, Helsinki, Vantaa, Turku, Tampere and Oulu. Due to difficulties in Research Permit applications, normal sampling methods could not be used, so the research took the form of a discretionary sample. The number of respondents could not be pre-determined because decisions of participation took place in two phases, first schools headmasters had to approve and only then the individual teachers could make their own decisions. As a result, the non-response study was impossible. The study involved 443 primary education teachers. In the analysis I used factor analysis and multivariate statistical methods. The results showed that a teacher's gender created statistically significant differences in four of the seven measured convictions. Female teachers appreciated more than their male colleagues the pedagogy that emphasizes altruistic and empathy showing pupil. The teacher's working environment, a primary or a secondary school, separated respondents convictions more often than the gender. The two pupil-centered pedagogies, which emphasize the meaningfulness of teaching content and on the other hand altruistic and empathy showing pupil was favoured more by primary school teachers than the other teacher groups. The conviction, where emphasis was put on pupil's capability social interactions was chosen by elderly teachers more often than by the other age groups. There was a statistically significant difference for the benefit of the more adept teachers in comparison with their younger colleagues as to underscoring the pedagogy emphasizing altruism and empathy in the pupil. Similarly they appreciated the conviction, where emphasis was on pupil's capability social interactions.

Work has become more and more expertised and complex, leading to a situation where best knowledge of the issues is dispersed wider in the organization. Implementation of work has changed towards more versatile, emphasazing individual's agency at work and learning. Thereby, the transition of power and responsibility for each employee is seen as important. These changes at work requires examining work-based learning in a new light. Need for this research arose from organizational change towards self-directing operating model. This demands to think individual's role and responsibility about their own learning and development. Research problem consisted of how experts learn in their work and what is the role of agency in learning. Results will help to better understand the development of organizational knowledge processes and expert work. Theoretical framework examines key theoretical concepts of learning, understanding impact of changes in the work and agency's role for learning. The study was conducted using a theme interview for ten employees, who operate in hybrid expertise roles in the organization. The data was collected at the turn of the year 2015-2016 and analyzed with content analysis. The units of analysis consisted from the nature of the job, learning practices and agency in professional development. The results showed that the working environment has a strong orientation to learning and informal learning played an important role. In addition, the results showed a different agency in relation to professional development. Others defined their learning objectives very actively and others were more adjusted to the possibilities offered by the organisation. Learning, however, was more individual than shared. The results demonstrate the need to modify the learning environment in the way it takes into account the different individuals from the perspective of learning. In practice, change to self-directing model requires that everyone takes responsibility to de-fine the shared and individual learning needs. As a conclusion the organization should provide a wide range of learning and influence channels, to support both individual and shared agency in learning and professional development.

The purpose of this user-centred design-based research was to design trousers individually for a young woman who has special needs for trouser's functional considerations due to a spinal cord injury. In addition to the functionality of the product, the trousers also had to respond to the user needs for her expressive and aesthetic preferences. Earlier studies show that there are not enough fitting, functional and at the same time aesthetically pleasing clothes for physically disabled people. The framework for user needs was based on the FEA consumer needs model developed by Lamb and Kallal (1992), which focuses all functional, expressive and aesthetic considerations to recognize consumer needs and wishes for apparel design. From the user data collection, qualitative content analysis gathered the essential issues and themes to identify the user profile, the context of a use-situation and the needs of the user for the design of the trousers. The gathered material showed the user's need for two different types of trousers: classic and timeless jeans and sporty trousers for casual use. Based on the results and interpretations of the design analysis, the trousers were developed in three different versions: the first jeans, the further developed jeans and the sporty trousers for casual use. The user evaluated the usability of three trousers by Nielsen's (1993) five-point grading scale in each stage of the development process. The comparative starting point for the evaluation was user's everyday trousers used before her disability. According to the evaluation, development on the trousers occurred, when the further jeans and the sporty trousers for casual use corresponded to all the functional, expressive and aesthetic needs of the user. This research provides concrete practical implementation solutions for the functional considerations of an individually designed trousers, but also provides a perspective on the aesthetic and expressive aspects of apparel design. The results of the study confirm Lamb's and Kallal's (1992) view that the functionality, expressiveness and aesthetics of the apparel are not mutually exclusive, as the individually designed adaptive apparel can also be of one's own style.

The aim and the purpose of this design -based study was to develop craft education from the point of view of critical pedagogy. The study was based on finding theoretic perspective from critical pedagogy to craft education and then apply it to the practice in the topic of clothing culture and making of cloths. The reason and needs behind the developing process was the beginner teacher's own interest to find ways to create that kind of craft education which aims to develop people's critical consciousness about social and ecological phenomena that includes to the craft and specially to clothing. The design-based study is based on four phases. First phase was constructing of theoretical frame from the theoretical literature of craft education and critical pedagogy. Then, based on the theoretical conversation between both themes the point of views for the developing was determined. After that, the determined point of views were applied one step nearer to the practice and some kind of educational plan for the topic of clothing was created. Little part of the plan was tested in Helsingin normaalilyseo with the pupils on seventh degree. The last phase of the study was to reflect the practice in the light of used theories based on the notes and feedback made during it. Critical pedagogy offered something to develop both for the pedagogy and the content of craft education. The most important point of views for the pedagogy were dialogic, problem-based, multi-perspective and emansipatoric educational practices where the main issues are to advance people's experimental and autonomous subjectivity, own voice and socio-political consciousness. The main points of view to develop the contents of craft education are self-reflection with sociopolitical knowledge, ecosocial consciousness, critical consciousness toward capitalism and critical multiculturalism. The educational plan for the topic of clothing was made based on those previous issues. The main problems occurred during the practice were the lack of time and unexperienced teacher.

Neoliberal educational policy forms the context of this study and is approached from a governance point of view. The study is based on the interest of the aim of the schooling system to raise individuals in the spirit of entrepreneurship. The starting point for this study was the notice that according to the neoliberal education policy, the school should provide enterprising and entrepreneurial abilities for all. The neoliberal governance is viewed discursively and the aim of the study is to critically explore the ethos of the enterprising self in the current neoliberal educational thought. The study also explores the effects and results of the entrepreneurial and neoliberal governance. The data consists of interviews by nine primary school teachers who have attended the MyCity (Yrityskylä in Finnish) learning environment. The data is analysed in discourse analytical view. The concept of discourse is understood as a political, institutional, and social construct. Therefore essential and interesting in this study's point of view is how the discourses are produced and controlled and what are their social consequences. The study's results showed that the teachers encounter entrepreneurship education as ambiguous, multiform and relatively new phenomenon. The goals of the entrepreneurship education were overlapped with characterizations of student's capabilities and attitudes in the teacher's talk. The entrepreneurial spirit was described through student's individual capabilities and features, such as independent initiative, briskness, invention and energy. The neoliberal governance in the viewpoint of the entrepreneurial spirit was found to contain individualization and moral obligations. The entrepreneurial governance includes the promise of improving the society but also transfers the responsibilities of the social problems to the individual himself.

The researchers in the field have continued the work of Foucault and indicated that the rationality of the welfare state has given way to the neo-liberal rationality. The analytics of governance aims to reveal the underlying power relations and mechanisms of governance that draws our attention to the individual, away from the structures. Collective care is decreasing when the individual is held accountable and tempted to shape herself/himself into an ideal citizen for the workforce. Therapeutic power is also used in this process. These kinds of elements have been found also in the youth support systems by researchers. In this study I aimed to discursively locate this kind of means and mechanisms in the work that is done among separated and unaccompanied adolescents.In this study I explored what kind of power can be found behind the governing of this care. I presented the following research questions: 1) what kind of governance do the support systems of adolescents who have come as asylum seekers represent and 2) what kind of subjectivities are produced within that governance? The research data consisted of both written material and material produced specifically for this thesis. I used two handbooks written by authorities as well as materials produced in projects (5) by civil society organisations. I interviewed five professionals working with separated/unaccompanied children and young people in a group session. I applied analytics of governance and attached myself to the tradition of discourse analytical thinking where discourse is seen to produce reality, not only reflecting reality. My approach was not to study how language is used, but rather to find support from post-structuralist and Foucauldian thinking. From this point of view, I analysed discursive practices that are present in the support systems of separated/unaccompanied young people. Control techniques shaped by neoliberal rationality could be found in the support systems of separated and unaccompanied young people. They were same type of techniques as in the projects targeted to young people to prevent their social exclusion analysed by Finnish researchers earlier. Adolescents were offered subjectivities where they are seen as vulnerable, at risk of being marginalized and psychologically symptomatic. I found mechanisms of governance in the support systems which are apt to turn the eye on the individual – away from structural factors. Especially adolescents coming from collective cultures find themselves in an inconsistent situation while staying in Finland alone, without the support received from the community and family.

Research of social exclusion is mainly focused on to explore young people and adults. There is only limited research available of social exclusion of children under school age. Social exclusion is however involved in a day care centre's every day life. Social exclusion is a multi-threaded term which is included closely in theories of socialization and children's social development. Previous researches have shown that social exclusion is a sum of many factors. Researchers' definitions of social exclusion are often varied according to what has been the subject and purpose of the research. This research focuses on to examine how the withdrawn behaviour appears in day care centre and how does it affect to social relationships between children. The research also studies the amount of support that withdrawn children need compared to other children. Previous researches have demonstrated that withdrawn behaviour is one of many sections of the social exclusion. The material of this study is gathered from "Orientaation lähteillä" research (Reunamo 2010). 50 day care centres and 14 childminders from Uusimaa and Hämeenlinna took part in the research. Age of the 892 children who participated in the research varied from one to seven. Method of this research was quantitative and the data was gathered by observation, interviews and teachers pedagogical evaluation of children. The data was analysed by using a one way analysis of variance and the statistical significance of results were confirmed by Kruskall-Wall test. According to this study the withdrawn child's main activity was orientation action; wandering around, waiting for something to happen or monitoring the situation. When the withdrawn children attached to action they didn't seek other children's company or express interest in other children's activities. Withdrawn children didn't have interest in social objects like toys or other items. According to teachers' evaluations withdrawn children needed more support in different areas of development than other children. The needs of support were not only in the field of social development but also on the side of motor-, cognitive- and emotional development. Social isolation and problems with it appear as early as under school age. The younger the child is the easier it is to intervene and cut the social exclusion circle.

In this study, my aim is to examine how the profitability of private early childhood education is defined and how the status of the child is determined in the news related to the corporate restructuring of a private Touhula kindergarten company. The ethos of neoliberalism influences early childhood education, and its marketization, bringing with goals related to competition, freedom of choice, and requirements of efficiency. The privatization of early childhood education is part of the marketization development. Previous research has shown that the marketization and privatization of early childhood education affects the child, families, teachers, leadership, and learning in general. In Finland, the privatization of early childhood education is on the rise. Previous studies in Finland have highlighted the unequal status of the child in private early childhood education, as there have been variations in the implementation of support and quality. The research material consisted of eighty (80) media reports related to the corporate restructuring of Touhula. In the analysis of the research material, I utilized critical discourse analysis and discursive-deconstructive reading to search for answers to my research questions. I used ATLAS.ti-software as a tool when doing the analysis. Based on my analysis, the profitability of private early childhood education and the status of the child in private early childhood education were determined in many ways. The discourses were polyphonic, overlapping, parallel, and partly contradictory. Both the profitability of private early childhood education and the status of the child reflected an economic perspective, and discourses based on measurement and quantity were on display. The discourses highlighted both the municipality's responsibility for organizing early childhood education and the profitability of private early childhood education from the municipality's point of view. The status of the child was determined to be silent and passive. The child's right to early childhood education was also raised. The research reveals the importance of language in describing reality and the power of the media in constructing this reality. The results of the study can be viewed as one picture of private early childhood education and the status of the child, but more research on the marketization and privatization of early childhood education is needed in the Finnish context.