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The purpose of my research is to describe the coverage of the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper regarding the shortage of early childhood education workers. I want to find out what kind of discourses are produced in Helsingin Sanomat about the shortage of early childhood education workers and how discourses construct social reality. The aim is to create a comprehensive overview of the news coverage on the shortage of workers and to structure the themes emerging from the material to answer my research questions. The shortage of early childhood education workers is severe in Finland, but also internationally. Researchers' interest in analysing the impact of the media on education and teachers has grown over the past decades. I conduct my research as a qualitative discourse study using discourse analysis as a methodological approach. My research material consists of 30 articles published in the digital online service of Helsingin Sanomat between 1 January and 15 August 2023. The results of the study have been generated by locating discourses of employee shortages that can be found in the data, examining the groups of speakers that produce them, and analysing what kind of social reality they construct. Three dominant discourses emerged from the data: the discourse of concern, the economic discourse and the social discourse, as well as six main groups of speakers: early childhood education and care staff, parents, experts, students of early childhood education and care, municipal decision-makers and politicians. The social reality of the shortage of workers was constructed on the basis of the discourses formed from the data as rather negative and critical.

Compulsory education was historically expanded in Finland in 2021. The purpose of this thesis is to find out the views of student counselors on issues that affect transitions between elementary school and secondary school, the discourses that can be located from the speech of student counselors and the subject positions formed for students in them, and the meanings given by counselors to the expansion of compulsory education. Previous research has shown that school practices produce acts of discrimination that reproduce inequality, which are manifested through the subject positions produced in the discourses. Leaning on Michel Foucault's view of power and theories about language and discourses, I aim to examine these mechanisms and shed light on hidden power structures that materialize in everyday school practices. My desire is to examine the extent to which a reform such as the expansion of compulsory education has the potential to influence issues of inequality. The research task is to find out (1) which factors influence the students' placement in the second grade according to the counselors' views, (2) what kind of subject positions are built for the students in the counselors' speech, and (3) what kind of meanings do the counselors give to the reform of compulsory education? I study the topic through themed interviews I conducted with five primary school or secondary school student counselors. As a research method I use discourse. The research results followed the results that has emerged in previous studies. Various factors based on student characteristics determined the choice of secondary education according to the instructors' views. At the same time, a clear dichotomous division was formed between upper secondary school and vocational school, which became evident in the ratings of families and students and in the placement of students. Poor academic performance, practicality and manual skills promoted the choice of a vocational school, while good academic performance favored the choice of upper secondary school. Two discourses, the discourse of reaching the school's goals and the discourse of the ideal citizen, could be highlighted in the interviews. In discourse were nuilt discourses, four different subject positions, which influenced how students were talked about and how their opportunities to attend school were valued.

This master's thesis examines Religious and Worldview Education in Finland. The aim of the research is to explore the thoughts of guardians of secondary school students in the capital region regarding the teaching of religious and worldview subjects. The study investigates the opinions of guardians in the capital region on the organization of religious and worldview education in schools. Additionally, the research delves into the views of guardians on the nature of religious and worldview education in schools. The purpose of this study is to consider the perspectives of guardians in the development of religious and worldview education. The research data is part of the project Näkökulmia osittain yhdistettyyn katsomusopetukseen ja katsomusdialogikasvatukseen oppilaiden ja huoltajien kokemana implemented in collaboration with a secondary school in the capital region. The data for this study consisted of survey responses collected from guardians through Wilma messages during the winter of 2022–2023. The survey was sent to the guardians of 400 students in the school, with 83 respondents. The research was conducted as a quantitative study, and the data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 28 software. The research results indicate that most guardians are willing to modify the current religious and worldview education. Most guardians perceived religious and worldview education as important in a diverse world, emphasizing the need for inclusive instruction covering various religions and beliefs. Most guardians considered religious and worldview education to be broadening, providing knowledge to understand society. and teaching insight into the role and significance of religions and other belief systems in society. Based on the research findings, it can be concluded that most guardians would be willing to change the current arrangement of religious and worldview education to meet the needs of a changing and pluralistic society.

In 2019 the new Upper Secondary School Act (714/2018) entered into force as a part of a larger upper secondary school reform. The Upper Secondary School Act obliges every upper secondary school to organize special education for all students who have challenges in learning. It was volyntary to organize special education before the reform, and special education was offered mainly in large cities. The purpose of this thesis is to describe the job description of special education teacher in upper secondary school and potential job description in the future. There is only a little previous research on special education in upper secondary schools. This thesis was conducted as a qualitative study. The material consisted of interviews with four special education teachers. At the time of the interview, the interviewees worked in upper secondary schools. The interviews were conducted as semi-structured thematic interviews and theory-driven content analysis was selected as the method of analysis. According to the results the job description of a special education teacher in upper secondary school can be divided into three themes which are student work, cooperation and developmental work. Work emphasizes individual work with students, and testing for difficulties in reading takes a lot of time. Cooperation is closest with student counsellor. Consultation is mostly informal (conversations in the corridors for example). Acting as a special education teacher in the upper secondary school requires continuous additional training. Encounters with students and the freedom to plan one’s schedule bring a lot of joy. Challenges encountered at work include difficulties in scheduling, insufficient resources and digitalization. The themes of the job will most likely remain fairly similar in the future. Teaching will change from individual work to more collaborative work. The cooperation is probably closer with all the personnel of the school. More resources for special education in all upper secondary schools in Finland is hoped. Special education teachers will hopefully have the opportunity to act as promoters of the general well-being of students. Materials should also be in print instead of digital materials.

Objectives. Early mathematical skills predict future academic success. The development of mathematical skills during primary school years tends to be weaker in children learning Finnish as a second language as compared to native speakers. However, these skills beginto develop early in life, with mathematical vocabulary playing a crucial role. Given that learning the Finnish language is a time-consuming process, there is a growing demand for valid and reliable assessment methods for mathematical skills and vocabulary that do not necessitate speech production in the second language. The SMST Picture Vocabulary Test aims to assess the recognition of words related to mathematics. The first objective of this study is to analyze the reliability and validity of this test, while the second is to examine the role of age, home language, gender, and the duration of participation in Early Childhood Education (ECE) in relation to knowledge of vocabulary. Methods. The data was gathered from children who were Finnish language learners aged 5–7 years (N=100) attending public ECE centers in the capital area. The reliability of the test was evaluated through internal consistency analyses. Additionally, known-group validity and concurrent validity assessments were conducted. Knowledge of mathematical vocabulary was examined through test results, with additional background data collected from teachers. Teachers evaluated the overall language and mathematical skills of the children. The study employed a quantitative approach with statistical analysis methods using the IBM SPSS program. Main results and conclusions. The study suggests that the SMST Picture Vocabulary Test demonstrates weak reliability, yet moderate validity, to be used for children learning Finnish as a second language. Concurrent validity analysis affirms the test to be primarily a vocabulary knowledge assessment tool. The SMST test demonstrated the ability to differentiate between two pre-established groups (Finnish language learners and native speakers) in mathematical skills through knowledge of mathematical vocabulary, thereby supporting the known-group validity of the test. The duration of participation in ECE emerged as the strongest indicator for mathematical vocabulary test results, followed by age, predicting 29 % of the vocabulary knowledge. Gender differences were found, with the results favoring girls. Home language showed no significant relation to competency in math vocabulary. The findings from this study pave the way for further research into the assessment of mathematical vocabulary knowledge among Finnish language learners, with a particular focus on understanding the factors influencing this knowledge.

Sedan grundandet av folkskolan på 1860-talet har man undervisat slöjd i de finska skolorna. Då var syftet med slöjdundervisningen att lära eleverna handarbetsfärdigheter för att de sedan kunde använda dem i framtida arbetes-och vardagslivet. För 100 år sedan handlade slöjdundervisningen om att lära sig egenskaper för att överleva men i dagens samhälle där alla inte har ett lika stort behov av handarbetsfärdigheter har slöjdundervisningen samt dennes syfte förändrats. I diskussioner med lärare som undervisar i slöjd har det kommit fram att lärarna ofta får förklara varför slöjd undervisas i skolan för både föräldrar och elever. Denna undersökning går ut på att redovisa vad lärare som undervisar i slöjd tycker att syftet med slöjdundervisningen är och vilka utmaningar lärarna upplever i slöjdundervisningen. Utifrån syftet formulerades två forskningsfrågor: 1. Vad anser lärare att syftet med slöjd i grundskolan är? 2.Vilka praktiska/pedagogiska utmaningar upplever lärare med slöjdundervisningen? För att besvara forskningsfrågorna användes en kvalitativ forskningsmetod med en hermeneutisk ansats. Fem lärare som undervisar i slöjd intervjuades individuellt och som intervjumetod användes en semistrukturerad intervju. Intervjuerna bandades in och materialet analyserades genom en tematisk analys. Lärarna som deltog i denna studie ansåg att slöjdundervisningen hade flera syften. Svaren på den första forskningsfrågan delades i i fyra olika temahelheter: Motorik/finmotorik, Undervisningens mångfald, Vardagskompetens och kreativitet. I intervjuerna kom det fram att slöjden utvecklar elevernas motorik och finmotorik och att slöjden bidrar till undervisningens mångfald. Det kom även fram att eleverna får lära sig färdigheter som är nyttiga i framtiden samt att de får utlopp för sin kreativitet. Utmaningarna i slöjdundervisningen som lärarna upplevde handlade om brist på tid, att läraren inte hann hjälpa alla elever under en lektion samt brist på resurser. Det fanns även lärare som upplevde svårigheter med att tolka läroplanen i slöjd och att läroplanen inte speglade verkligheten.

Objective of the study. Teachers' professional agency can be used to examine how teachers learn in their work. There exists little earlier research on the professional agency among teachers in the induction phase, even less has it been studied during the global pandemic. It was therefore necessary investigate the topic in detail. This study had two research questions. The first step was to examine what kind of key learning experiences basic education teachers had during the Covid-19 pandemic in their teacher-student interactions. Second, it was examined how the professional agency of basic education teachers appeared in their teacher-student interaction situations during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods. The research material consisted of eleven individual interviews with basic education teachers in the induction phase. The data were collected as part of the " Early Career Teach-ers' Professional Agency Across Four European Countries – Key for Sustainable Educational Change? research project carried out in 2018–2022 funded by the Suomi Akatemia. The inter-view had three themes which related to the interviewees' 1) significant learning experiences and professional development, 2) the professional community in the early stages of their ca-reers, and 3) working during the Covid-19 pandemic. The interviews were analyzed using the method of qualitative theory-driven analysis. Results and conclusions. The results of the study showed that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the key learning experiences of induction phase teachers were related to remote and in-person classroom situations with groups of students and individual students. The professional agency of the teachers in the induction phase was strongest in classroom situations. The independent activities of teachers were emphasized in the chosen strategies. Teachers were motivated by commitment to students. Teachers' self-efficacy was illustrated by coping with work tasks dur-ing the Covid-19 pandemic. Compared to previous studies, this study especially highlighted teachers' willingness to meet their students individually. The teachers had a positive attitude towards the use of new IT applications and platforms, which they planned to utilize even after the exceptional circumstances. The findings can be applied to supporting the professional agency of teachers at the beginning of their careers and in the versatile implementation of teaching outside the exceptional circumstances.

The aim of this thesis is to explore parents’ experiences of well-being in everyday life after the birth of their first child. The transition to parenthood with the first child is a unique time, as all the changes in everyday life are experienced for the first time, and it can surprise you in many ways. Family formation after the first child has been described as a critical transi-tional phase, in which everyday practices and rhythms change and adjustments are made in the relationship to meet the challenges of parenthood. Previous research has highlighted declining birth rates, parental exhaustion and experiences of uneven distribution of house-hold tasks. Therefore, there is a perceived need to increase honest discussion about par-enting and how well-being and feelings of equality could be enhanced in parenthood. The thesis was conducted using a qualitative research approach. The data were collected in October 2023 by interviewing seven (N=7) parents on parental leave with their first child. The data were analyzed using theory-based qualitative content analysis. The results of the study are not quantitatively generalizable. The transition in the families was seen as significant compared to the past. In the context of parenting a newborn, many factors contributed to and supported satisfaction and well-being in various ways but also presented conflicting and challenging experiences. New tasks such as breastfeeding, putting the baby to sleep and childcare were seen as rewarding in many ways, fostering a connection with the baby. Challenges highlighted the learning of these tasks and experiences of uncertainty. Personal time took on new meanings and was seen as a very important factor supporting personal identity and emotional well-being. Regularity in the rhythms of daily life with a baby made it easier to anticipate everyday life, but modera-tion and flexibility were seen as necessary. Everyone described equal parenting as im-portant, but there was variation in its implementation. When equality was achieved, parents' basic needs were met, household chores were evenly distributed, sufficient personal time was available, and a sense of gratitude, a willingness to prioritize the spouse and good communication also increased satisfaction in the relationship. Parents experiencing inequali-ty highlighted increased workload, negotiating while tired, lack of empathy and appreciation, and communication challenges as factors that undermined the well-being of the relation-ship. Support from relatives and society increased satisfaction if trust was felt and help was available when needed. Parental well-being experiences were seen to be influenced by ba-by-related characteristics. The experience of smooth everyday life was mirrored in expecta-tions and perceptions, and the fear of colic had been unfounded in each interviewee. As a result, most felt that everything could go well for the most part and that the occasional chal-lenges of parenting a newborn were seen as a natural part of everyday life that one could overcome. The pressures of parenthood emerged on several occasions, although at the same time most expressed confidence in their parenting and did not perceive the pressures as burdensome. As a topic for further research, it would be important to explore these pres-sures and perceptions in more detail. It would also be important to explore the experiences and changes in the well-being of parents’ that have resulted from the family leave reform. The results of this study bring theoretical insights and a deep understanding of early parenthood to the field of home economics research, in which context the findings can be utilized, for example, to provide empathy and support.

Home economic textbooks reflect the educational goals of a specific era within a certain cul-tural context. Examining home economic textbooks helps to understand what content and values society wants to emphasize in home economics education. This thesis explores the topics related to baking and baked goods as presented in home economic textbooks from 1980s to the 2020s. The aim of the study is to examine how food culture traditions and globalization are portrayed around themes related to baking. The background of the study is formed by historical and societal themes, including authenticity, exoticism, culinary cosmo-politanism, as well as everyday life and holiday tradition. The study was conducted as a qualitative content analysis. The data was collected from eight textbooks and the presentation of baked goods were compared to Finnish culinary cul-ture. The research also examined how exotic global culinary trends have become visible in the textbooks. Data analysis was performed using a theory-driven content analysis ap-proach. As a result of globalization baked goods may gradually become part of our own food cul-ture. If a pastry originally considered exotic is included in a home economic textbook, can it then be seen as integrated into Finnish food culture? All textbooks presented historical as-pects of our culinary culture, although these were more emphasized in older textbooks. The textbooks reflected the spirit and the curriculum values of their time. This was particularly evident in the emphasis on authenticity and exoticism related to baking and culinary culture in textbooks before the 2000s. Textbooks from the 2000s are more international and reflect the arrival of culinary trends and culinary cosmopolitanism into Finnish food culture and textbooks. Culinary cosmopolitanism can be seen as a dialogue between cultures. Culinary cosmopolitanism can facilitate discussions about different food cultures and ways of eating and find commonalities between different food cultures.

Objectives. The holistic development process of school culture and its learning environments re-quire systematic participation of students as well as their voices to be heard. This study examined students’ experiences of learning and studying in flexible learning spaces, in the context of one primary school in Helsinki, Finland. The aim of the study was to research what kind of meanings the students themselves give to the different features of the learning spaces and furniture. The study also aimed to analyze means by which the students chose their preferred place to learn. Methods. This study was carried out as a descriptive case study. The research material was conducted and collected as part of the Growing Mind research project which was funded by the Strategic Research Council of Finland. The data consists of nine group interviews, field observations during 16 lessons and 207 photographs taken by the students, and it was gathered during the academic year of 2022–23 in the authentic environment of the participating school. The rich data set of the study was analyzed using qualitative research methods such as inductive content analysis and thematic analysis. Results and conclusion. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the students wished for different things from the learning spaces. The results showed that the flexibility of the learning spaces could be seen as a key catering to the diverse wishes and needs of different students. In addition, according to the results, the students comprehended the possibility of choosing their own learning space or furniture to study on three levels: through the framework of the school's operating culture, the teacher's pedagogical decision-making, and the students’ own preferences. Finally, it was concluded that the study results emphasize the significant importance and meaningfulness of the students’ participation both as research participants and conductors of new research information providers. In the future, further research needs to be conducted about the development processes of new learning environments, and about the changes regarding the learning spaces especially from the students’ perspective.