Browsing by study line "Klasslärare (pedagogik)"

The purpose of this master's thesis is to get acquainted with the child-forest relationship and the factors influencing it. This research takes a closer look at children's forest relations, children's personal forest experiences and children's thoughts and expectations about the forest. The subject of the study is also the social or forest cultural features in the construction of children's forest relations. Studies have shown that the forest relationship is built mainly on the basis of relevant forest experiences. Children's environmental education is also of great importance. This thesis is a qualitative study in which a phenomenological-hermeneutic perspective has been used in the analysis of the research data; content analysis was constructed through an understanding of an individual’s experiences. For this research, I interviewed six sixth graders, with whom I also visited the children’s nearby forest where they photographed interesting and beautiful objects in the forest. In the interviews, I used photos of different forests to support the discussion. The key point was to look at what materials children’s personal experiences are built from and what they meant ultimately for the development of a child’s forest relationship. Children’s meaningful forest experiences with family and friends increase appreciation and respect for the forest. Children involved in the study use the forest mainly for functional reasons, as well as to calm down to counteract the everyday fuss. Children’s forest relationship has received impressive ingredients from societal expectations and meanings. The reflection on the future highlighted the desire to protect the forest as well as the economic aspect. Based on the research findings, it is possible to state that the opportunities to go to the forest enabled by important people and the positive forest experiences encountered there strengthen the children's relationship with the forest. In addition, societal expectations for the forest became part of children’s thinking.

The aim of this study was to find out how teachers use songs as a means to support learning a new language in preparatory education. The purpose was also to examine their reasoning behind using songs in their teaching. The research problem arises from the need to consider the different ways in which newly arrived pupils can be supported in the beginning of learning a new language. According to previous studies, music has a positive impact on language learning. However, there is a need for further study of using songs as a means to support language learning in Finland and especially in Finnish preparatory education. The study was carried out applying a phenomenological approach. Research data was collected by interviewing eight teachers who had experience in using songs in preparatory education. Research data was analyzed using methods of qualitative content analysis. On the basis of this study, the different ways of using songs in supporting language learning in preparatory education form a wide and inventive array of teaching methods. The reasoning behind including songs in preparatory education was mostly linked to the views the teachers had concerning the positive effects of using songs, which were in many cases influenced by the positive experiences they had using songs in teaching. In some cases, the reasons were linked to positive experiences the teachers themselves had in connection with language learning and songs. The reasons could be divided into those that were directly linked to language learning and those that were linked to the overall well-being and growth of students or creating a pleasant atmosphere in the classroom. Using songs was seen as an affective and quick way to learn new vocabulary and phrases. The teachers’ views reflected the idea that language learning is a process that cannot be separated from everything else that is happening in the classroom. The role of music in increasing school satisfaction and dealing with emotions was considered as very important. The teachers’ views were in this sense in line with previous studies concerning the ways in which singing indirectly affects language learning.

In the spring of 2020, all Finnish schools moved to distance learning to restrict the spread of covid-19 virus. During this time, all subjects were taught using distance teaching methods. Distance teaching has been used in schools before the pandemic, for example in online courses but distance teaching for an entire class and for a long period of time is rare. Additionally, distantly teaching elementary school subjects such as physical education (PE) is uncommon. Researchers have demonstrated that the age and the subjects offer certain challenges to distance teaching. Previous research indicates that subjects such as PE where a group setting is required, are challenging to teach distantly without the presence of a group and students learning the subject individually in their own homes. The aim of this study is to investigate the methods elementary school teachers used in distance teaching of PE. The goal is to understand the challenges and opportunities distance teaching sets for PE. Additionally, the goal is to determine how the teaching goals set in the curriculum can be achieved in distance teaching. The study was executed using qualitative methods. The data consisted of semi-structured thematic interviews of six elementary school teachers. The interviews were conducted in the spring of 2021 using distance communication methods. Data-analysis was conducted using data-driven content analysis. In distance teaching of PE teachers utilized asynchronous methods emphasizing mainly different forms of outdoor exercises which require minimum resources from the children’s families. Teachers experienced that goals and contents set in the curriculum from a physical and mental perspective were met partially, but from a social perspective very little. According to the teachers there were massive differences in the involvement of students in physical education learning during the distance teaching period. The main challenges in distance teaching of PE according to the teachers were taking into consideration the students’ equality and young age when planning and executing the lessons. The range of alternative teaching methods, flexibility and the use of new methods and technology were seen as positive factors in distance teaching of PE. Although the distance teaching period as a whole was a positive and eye-opening experience for the teachers, all of them concluded that PE is more appropriate in contact teaching. The distance teaching period offered new methods and technology to be used in PE teaching in the future, however in conclusion it is not practical to replace contact teaching with distance teaching in PE.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyse and interpret achievement emotions related to mathematics from the perspective of in-person and distance studies. The thesis will illustrate how achievement emotions are present in high schoolers and also assess how distance studies have affected their presence. The difference between both advanced and regular mathematics streams, as well as the differences between men and women, and their achievement emotions shall be assessed. The theoretical frame of reference for the conducted research is Pekrun’s (2006) control-value theory. The research material used in this thesis is the material gathered for Anni Sydänmaanlakka’s dissertation. The material was gathered in the beginning of 2021 with the aid of an electronic questionnaire. The questionnaire received 1354 responses from high schoolers from eighteen different schools. The questionnaire used the AEQ-M (Achievement Emotions Questionnaire-Mathematics) scale. The suitability of this AEQ-M method was analysed by means of a confirmatory factor analysis. Analysing the material was done by using a non-parametric Wilcox marked rank -test in addition to the Mann-Whitney U-test. From the thesis it became evident that the differences in achievement emotions when comparing distance and in-person studies were statistically significant. The majority of high schoolers experienced more boredom and anger and less satisfaction and anxiety in distance studies than during in-person studies. The difference between students in advanced and regular mathematics streams was statistically significant. The students studying regular mathematics felt more anxiety, boredom and anger in both distance and in-person studies than those studying advanced mathematics. On the other hand, they felt less satisfaction than the advanced mathematics students. A distinct statistical difference between how the different sexes felt emotions could be detected. Women felt more anxiety in both study methods and more boredom in distance studies. Men in contrast felt more satisfaction in both study methods. The study methods and the individuals sex seemed to make a difference when assessing achievement emotions related to mathematics. In particular differences could be detected in relation to feelings of boredom between the study methods and different genders.

The purpose of this thesis was to find out the contents of the practical theories of classroom teacher students and graduate classroom teachers and the professional identities based on them. The study aims to find out the differences and similarities between the contents of first-year classroom teacher students, 3rd to 5th- year classroom teacher students and graduates, classroom teachers in working life. In addition, the aim of this study is also to find out how classroom teacher students and wor-king classroom teachers describe their professional identity based on practical theories and whether there are possible differences and similarities between the factors. This thesis is part of a research project led by Karlsson and Pitkäniemi (2011), which aims to study the practical theories of teacher students during teacher education. The material of my thesis con-sists of the practical theories of first-year and 3rd to 5th-year classroom teacher students as well as graduate classroom teachers. The practical theories of classroom teacher students come from the da-ta of the research project collected from the University of Eastern Finland in 2017 and 2019, instead, the data of the graduated classroom teachers have been collected in 2020–2021 via an E-form as a part of my thesis. This thesis is a qualitative study and has been implemented as a theory-guiding content analysis. The results of this thesis indicate that the contents of the practical theories of classroom teacher stu-dents and graduate classroom teachers are connected by the consideration of students' equality, pro-fessional development, and the formation of the teacher's professional skills in various fields. There were no major differences between practical theories between different groups. The professional identities of classroom teacher students and graduate classroom teachers were based on different teacher responsibilities related to student learning and education. Professional development became a key factor in explaining the professional identities of students and graduate classroom teachers.

Positive education is a new application of positive psychology. The main purpose of positive education is to increase the well-being of individuals, to wrap learning and well-being in school together, and to harness character strengths as resources. Positive education is used in many Finnish schools. This educational trend is currently very topical, as studies show that mental disorders in children and young people has increased both in Finland and globally. There is little research data on positive education. The views of the working teachers and the experiences of the pupils have been studied in a few master's thesis. The views of classroom teacher students have not been studied nearly at all. The purpose of this thesis was to find out what views do students have on positive education. The study was conducted with qualitative approaches. 26 classroom teacher students from master’s degree participated in the study. The data was gathered by using an electronic questionnaire. The data was analyzed by content analysis. According to this study, classroom teacher students had a positive attitude to positive education, but also critical. Positive education was seen to contribute widely to well-being. The students felt that the focus on well-being was appropriate for their own teach-ing philosophy. Strength-based education was perceived as the core of positive educa-tion. Positive education was thought to focus for the most part on supporting individual needs and development. Individual support that requires strong student knowledge was seen easily to overstress teacher. Students saw that positive education especially bene-fits students with special needs, who often threaten to be criticized for their own actions. Students believe that positive education promotes learning and schooling positively through many factors. Lack of knowledge was seen as a challenge for positive educa-tion. Students felt they knew about positive education a bit. They also pondered the sci-entific origins of positive pedagogy. Students were concerned about the possible way of positive education to ignore challenges in an overly positive way and to neglect the study of academic skills. This study shows that positive education needs more research.

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.

The increase in knowledge and continuous changes in our world affect upbringing and education. In autumn 2016 came into effect the new curriculum of comprehensive school that obligated schools to promote integrated learning and multidisciplinarity by arranging multidisciplinary learning modules. The objective of this study is to find out class teachers’ experiences and views of multidisciplinary learning modules as a part of everyday school. The purpose of this study is to understand what kind of advantages and challenges class teachers see in multidisciplinary learning modules, how class teachers feel about their own competences to implement those modules, and what is the value of cooperation in class teachers’ opinion when implementing multidisciplinary learning modules. Forty class teachers responded to this study through an online survey. The online survey was shared to two social media groups. The groups consisted mostly of professionals of education and class teacher students. The study was based on tradition of phenomenology due to the study’s interest in class teachers’ experiences. According to phenomenology, experiences are human’s experiential relations to his/her own reality. Participants of this study experienced multidisciplinary learning modules mostly as a positive part of everyday school. The biggest advantages of the multidisciplinary learning modules were increased cooperation, communality, and pupils’ motivation for school. Class teachers considered communal planning of multidisciplinary learning modules laborious, however, they though that cooperation was an important part of successful multidisciplinary learning modules. This study was also interested in class teachers’ opinions about their own competences to implement multidisciplinary learning modules. Class teachers of this study experienced that they have enough competence to implement multidisciplinary learning modules.

Aims. Problem solving plays a key role in the foundations of the basic education curriculum and is one of the seven main objectives of mathematics teaching. (National Board of Education 2014) The student's positive attitude towards mathematics has been found to be related to better learning outcomes (Niemi, 2008). A teacher who is more positive about mathematics is more likely to get his or her students excited about studying mathematics (Hattie 2012). This study examines how students with dual-grade teachers in mathematics differ from the national level in problem-solving skills and mathematical attitudes in lower elementary school. Methods. The study is quantitative in nature. All elementary classes involved in the study were taught by a teacher who completed the dual qualification of mathematics. The material was collected mainly through electronic forms sent to teachers. Problem-solving skills were tested with the tests of the 2018-2019 Kangaroo Math Competition and attitudes to study mathematics with Fennema-Sherman's (1976) scale of mathematical attitudes. The attitude survey measured attitudes towards mathematics, pupils’ confidence in mathematics, and the engagement of mathematics teaching. The data were analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics. Results and conclusions. In the problem-solving test, the performance level of the experimental group was lower than the national data. In the attitude survey there was no statistically significant difference between the groups on attitudes towards mathematics. There was no statistically significant difference found in students confidence in their own mathematical skills but the students' engagement was stronger for the research material with the result being statistically significant. Based on this study it appears that the qualifications of dual-qualified lower elementary school teachers find teaching more engaging than Finnish students in general, and that dual-qualified teachers are more successful in implementing gender equality.

The aim of this study is research teachers’ pedagogical thinking in oral health education. The study was interested in what contents classroom teachers consider important in relation to oral health, and what kind of teaching methods and materials they use when teaching these to their students. In addition, the challenges and opportunities for creative class teachers in oral health education were examined. The theoretical frame of reference for the study was Kansanen’s (1993b) Model of Pedagogical Thinking and the Herbartian Didactical Triangle. Teachers’ pedagogical thinking was approached from the arguments they shared. In this case study, eight classroom teachers were interviewed, seven of whom were currently teaching in primary school. In the interview situations, the I love mouth video of the Finnish Dental Association was used as a stimulus. The data were analyzed by inductive as well as deductive content analysis, also utilizing the quantification of the data. Class teachers considered it important to teach students content related to dental care, nutrition, intoxicants, and oral health and well-being. The most popular teaching materials in oral health education were textbooks, model teeth, and videos. Oral health was taught in everyday situations as well as through concreteness and functionality, group work and teaching discussions. Oral health care visits were considered desirable and their lack was regretted. As challenges in oral health education, classroom teachers saw a small role for oral health in curriculum content. In addition, there was a lack of teaching materials and one's own knowledge was not perceived as very strong. Directing students to a healthier life was seen as an opportunity. As in previous studies, the pedagogical thinking in this study also focused on the action level. Teachers justified the teaching of oral health based on, for example, their own experiences and everyday observations. The main emphasis in the explanatory memorandum was on the didactic relationship, therefore teachers’ relationship to the student' s learning. Additionally, the pedagogical relationship was almost as evident. Instead, the teachers’ relationship to content remained in the smallest role. Regarding the pedagogical thinking of teachers in the teaching of oral health, it can be stated that teachers should have more theoretical competence in the teaching of oral health.