Browsing by study line "Specialpedagogik"

Vocational education in Finland has gone through major changes due the reform of vocational education and training and Vocational Education and Training Act (2017/531). Students’ right to receive special support in their studies has created new obligations to both education system and teachers. This study is a part of Learner’s right – teacher’s skill project which is funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The project develops teacher education within the themes of special support and multiprofessional guidance. This particular study examines what the learning support provided by teachers in a vocational school consists of, what factors influence teachers' ability to provide learning support, and how teachers develop their own skills in meeting the students’ need for special support. This study is a qualitative master’s thesis, where the target group was 29 vocational school teachers or other employees from one vocational school in Helsinki metropolitan area. The research material was collected through group interviews and questionnaires. The research material was analyzed by content analysis. Based on the results of this study, a model of teacher-provided learning support was formed. The model consists of three components, namely social support, learning support and community support. Teachers' ability to support their students was influenced by e.g. the circumstances of the institution, such as financial resources, and personal competence, which included teachers' experience of their own skills and the limits of their profession. Teachers developed their professional skills with the support of the community and through experience. More training was considered desirable, but challenges arose in applying the knowledge and theory gained from the training to practice. The overall picture of the results can be used to find the ways which teachers need to support students in their studies, and how teachers can develop their own skills as identifiers and supporters of the students’ need for support. The overall picture can also help teachers in their professional development on supporting students, as well as guide educational institutions to guide educational institutions to consider support measures in their teaching.

Most of the world’s population is either bilingual or multilingual. Schools also face multilingualism, and Finland has not escaped the challenges of multilingualism either. Various programs have been developed around the world for the teaching of multilingual students. Mathematics is one of the most important subjects in school, and success in it facilitates access to postgraduate studies, and contributes to employment placement. Language skills also affect the study of mathematics. The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the effects of different bilingual programs on the achievement and development of mathematics among students of different ages. Data were collected from scientific studies. The study included CLIL programs and various immersion programs. The studies were divided into three parts: cohort studies, interventions, and studies on cognition, language exchange costs, and the use of different methods in bilingual curricula. In this dissertation, the material has been compiled by means of a systematic literature review. The research material has been collected from various databases (Eric, EBSCO, PsycINFo, Springer). 31 previous international and 2 Finnish studies were selected as research material, which dealt with the use of different bilingual programs and their effects on mathematics competence. The research material was analysed based on data. The use of CLIL and immersion programs in almost all studies had a positive effect on students ’academic achievement in mathematics. The most positive results were obtained through interventions. The results contributed to confirming the contribution of the Cummins Threshold Hypothesis to the use of bilingual curricula, i.e., learning a second language requires reaching a certain minimum level of language before a learner can benefit from language use while also studying mathematics. Teaching through a foreign language seemed to support and promote students ’mathematical thinking and learning processes. Once thought processes have evolved, the use of a foreign language as a tool for learning appears to be an advantage in cognitive development.

The aim of the study is to by a systematic literature review investigate the effect of listening to music in order to reduce math test anxiety. The research questions are: 1. Are there any differences in music styles when trying to affect math anxiety? 2. Does background music lower anxiety in a mathematic test situation? The method of this study is a systematic literature review. The material consists of seven internationally peer-reviewed articles and dissertations. The material was collected from electronic information sources. Principles of thematic analyzing were used in the analysis. According to this study calming classical music was found to lower math anxiety in mathematic test situations, especially among persons who were measured with severe math anxiety. The Mozart effect stands up in the study, but according to this study even other slow paced classical music effects the anxiety and lowers it. However, fast paced, unpredictable music has been found out to either keeping up the anxiety or even increasing it. Low paced classical music seems to have elements, which effect math anxiety by lowering it. However, more studies would be needed on how peoples' own musical preferences or musical history effect lowering the math anxiety. Could one achieve anxiety lowering effects for example in the classroom during a math exam? In this study the subjects of study were 20-30 years old. More studies would be needed on how background music effects the math anxiety in children. Could the background music have an effect on lowering math anxiety in elementary school students during a math exam?

The aim of this thesis was to explore teachers' perceptions and experiences of normative whiteness and white power. This is important because whiteness is built into the education system, and it is a way of maintaining racist perceptions and values. It also allows for the maintenance of ableist values and perceptions, as whiteness has historically been associated with notions of intelligence, efficiency, and ability, for example, thus justifying racism through categories associated with disability. The thesis therefore drew on an intersectional framework identifying "race" and disability to identify the ways in which ideologies of whiteness are manifested in the education system, producing multiple, overlapping forms of oppression. The examination of the issue from the perspective of teachers is essential, as teachers are in a position of significant power in producing and maintaining categories of "normal" and "non-normal". The study was conducted as a systematic literature review. Through narrative synthesis, 7 themes describing teachers' perceptions and experiences emerged from the data. Themes were divided into two groups (perceptions and experiences of white teachers and perceptions and experiences of PoC teachers) to find the widest possible range of findings about the ways in which ideologies of whiteness manifest in teachers' perceptions and experiences. The division was made in line with the anti-racist agenda of the study and the Disability Critical Race Theory framework. The findings of the study confirmed previous research findings on epistemologies of white innocence, which manifested in white teachers as fear and avoidance of talking about "race", downplaying racism, exploiting ignorance, defensiveness, focusing on whiteness, and emphasizing their own white goodness, among others. PoC teachers' perceptions and experiences were related to multiple experiences of racism. PoC teachers also described several ways in which normative whiteness and white power were implemented in the education system, manifested in eurocentric and whiteness-centered examination structures and materials. The groups' findings complemented each other in that while white teachers described their ignorance of racism, PoC teachers described their experiences of white teachers not taking responsibility or recognizing oppression in the education system. The findings also mirrored each other in that as white teachers used trendy words ("woke") to elevate their own social status, PoC teachers expressed concern that challenging racism would be a trend for the privileged, rather than a sustainable, anti-racist activity. The findings of this study reflect the multiple ways in which normative whiteness and white power are manifested in the education system. To be truly equal, we need to look critically at the power structures in the education system and challenge what are perceived as "normal" perceptions and values.

The goal of my research is to find out which factors affect the success of elementary school-age pupils with autism spectrum in schooling in the general education class and which factors prevent success. This study was carried out as a qualitative study using a phenomenological research sample, because this method is well suited for exploring experiences of the research participants. The data was collected in the spring of 2023 by interviewing five parents of pupils on the autism spectrum. The answers of the interviews were analyzed in search of factors that would help satisfy the three basic psychological needs defined by self-determination theory. Based on the experiences of the interviewees, the reason for the delay in getting help for children on the autism spectrum was often that school was waiting for the child to receive a diagnosis. Getting tested and getting a diagnosis can be a process lasting many years. If the child does not get the support he/she needs at school during this time, it will have a negative effect on his/her well-being and ability to attend school. Cooperation with families and meeting the child was clearly influenced if the teacher has previous experience with pupils on the autism spectrum or understanding of these different pupils. Factors facilitating the cooperation were the school staff's understanding of the child and family, the teacher's positive attitude, the effective interaction between home and school, and the tailoring of support measures according to the child's needs. Obstacles to cooperation were radically different views on the child's need for support, seeing the child and the family in a negative light, and meetings, the end result of which was that the child was still left without the support he/she needed.

According to the Pisa assessments, the number of students with poor reading skills has increased in Finland in recent years. Because of the poor reading skills, approximately one in ten students will struggle with their upper secondary studies and will not achieve an active social status. However, international studies have shown that reading comprehension interventions can improve students’ reading skills even in adolescence. The purpose of this study was to explore how the upper secondary school teachers experienced the teaching of reading comprehension skills for students with reading comprehension difficulties. The study focused on the teachers’ views concerning support of learning Finnish language and social studies. The study answers in three research questions: first, how theory-based reading comprehension support is organized, second, how do the reading comprehension difficulties affect Finnish language studies and social studies, and third, how the reading comprehension support could be improved. The study was carried out by using qualitative methods and following the principles of phenomenological-hermeneutical approach. The data was collected by interviewing seven upper secondary school teachers. Three of them were Finnish language teachers and four of them were special education teachers. The data was analyzed by using theory-based con-tent analysis and data-based content analysis. Based on the results, teachers use theory-based reading comprehension methods, such as reading strategies. However, there were differences between the schools’ structures of sup-port systems. Reading comprehension difficulties were connected with other multidimensional problems. The reading comprehension support can be improved by offering further training for teachers and promoting their co-operation. Besides that, positive attitude might have an important role on reading comprehension support.

Objectives. The goal of this thesis is to examine methods in which a teacher can prevent challenging behaviour of the students in the classroom and intervene in challenging behaviour in the classroom. Previous research has shown that it would be important for the teacher to try to keep a safe environment in the classroom and to create a warm relationship with the students. Teaching distinct models for interaction in the classroom has been proven to be effective. A goal was to find out how teachers understand and perceive challenging behavior in the classroom. Methods. The research for this thesis was done as a qualitative study based on interviews. The research material contained 8 interviews, with 4 subject teachers and 4 special education teachers. The interviews were made with Zoom, Skype or teams and the teachers who took part were found from different facebook groups that teachers use. The questions about different methods were analyzed through content analysis, and the questions about the teachers’ perceptions about challenging behaviour were analyzed by using discourse analysis. Results and conclusions. The teachers’ perceptions about challenging behavior varied a lot. Some of them brought up factors about the different students when others thought more about their own ways to support the behaviour. The answers were categorized into categories or discourses based on their answers. The results cannot be generalized since the nature of this study, but many different methods were mentioned. A warm relationship and respectful attitude from the teacher towards the students has been proven to be important in preventing challenging behaviour in the classroom.

The purpose of this thesis is to describe how the basic psychological needs of students are met in integration training. The target group of the thesis were Finnish language teachers of integration training, from whose interview speech I looked for descriptions of factors promoting or limiting students' needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The data was collected in May-June 2023. Six Finnish language teachers participated in the individual interviews. The transcribed material was analyzed using theory-driven content analysis. Student autonomy may not always be realized during the stage of guiding them into integration training. This is apparent to teachers, for example, in the student's lack of awareness about the reasons for being guided into a group and about their own opportunities. Some students would prioritize more vocationally-focused education or entering the workforce. Teachers strive to consider students' interests and opinions in planning educational content and methods. How-ever, this is challenging without a common language and interpreters are not always an option. Not all students are accustomed to expressing their opinions in a school context. Workplace learning provides a structural opportunity to influence one’s own education. OPAL feedback surveys were also mentioned as a way for students to have an impact. Teachers described the employment and language skill goals of integration training as unrealistic for students in slower groups. The personal goals of students were also sometimes seen as unrealistic. Students' sense of competence is primarily fostered through diverse study methods and learning environments. Integration training groups were described as heterogeneous. It was considered important that a student is guided to a group that matches their level. Challenges have been experienced in differentiation and in utilizing special education resources. Some-times it has been necessary to suggest a group change for a student during a course. Teachers reported trying to create a personal relationship with students. Some students' disrespectful attitudes towards female teachers have sometimes been challenging. The promotion of a relatedness among students in integration training was described briefly. A few teachers mentioned methods of group building. Students' need for relatedness has been limited by the extensive use of their mother tongue, cultural conflicts, and student absences.

Teachers play a key role in putting education system reforms into practice. An attempted change may remain superficial or not happen at all unless the teachers commit to it. Therefore, when looking at the implementation of a reform, it is useful to determine how it appears from the point of view of the teacher's work. Since 2011, Finnish primary schools have implemented a three-tier support system which is based on key principles such as the early identification of students' need for support and flexible support arrangements. Changes in support arrangements are reflected in schools, for example, as new forms of collaboration, support planning and monitoring. The public debate surrounding the change has been triggered, in particular, by the inclusion of students in need of support in mainstream classes, which has led to an increase in implementation of support measures in class and subject teachers' jobs. According to national surveys, the implementation of support seems to vary between localities and between occupational groups. The purpose of this study was to describe a city's teachers' work and community characteristics which make it difficult to implement the support as dictated by the regulations. The study used secondary data, which was originally collected as part of an electronic questionnaire given to the staff of the city's Education and Learning Department. The answers of teachers in grades 1-9 (N = 850) were analyzed by means of theory-driven computer-assisted content analysis. The results were structured and interpreted using theoretical models based on the theoretical frameworks of cultural historical activity theory and developmental work research. The results showed that barriers to the implementation of support experienced by the teachers were strongly linked to community characteristics. The structural factors and operating culture of the schools were not developed to a level that would allow the use and development of new working methods. Problems with scheduling appeared as disturbances of work. Lack of resources was seen as a factor that reduced the speed with which the implementation and planning of support could be done in all areas of the work community. Efforts were made to improve the implementation of support by improving the distribution of support and introducing new ways of working. Differences between the occupational groups were observed both in the problems of implementing the support and in the attempts to solve those problems.

Goals. The aim of this thesis was to find out how adolescents' perceived learning difficulties are connected to their social participation. Social participation stands for the social dimension of inclusion. The basic assumption of inclusive education is that it provides better opportunities for social participation for pupils with special educational needs. Previous research has shown that along with inclusion, social participation of pupils with special educational needs is still lower than their classmates without special needs. Social participation of pupils with learning difficulties has been studied in the past mainly on younger pupils. In these studies, learning difficulties have been based on either teacher's assessment or diagnosis. This thesis will provide information on whether the social participation of an adolescent with perceived learning difficulties is lower than other adolescents. Methods. This study is a quantitative Master's thesis. The research is based on data gathered from 8th and 9th graders in the School Health Promotion study (N = 87215) conducted by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare in 2019. The data was collected using a questionnaire during the school day. IBM SPSS Statistics 27 was used for data analysis. The analysis methods of the thesis were Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient and the t-test. Results and conclusions. The results of the thesis showed that adolescents' perceived learning difficulties were linked to their social participation. The strongest connections were measured between perceived learning difficulties and social self-perception. The more adolescents experience difficulties in writing, reading or counting, the more likely they are to have weaker social self-perception. The results also showed that young people with very high levels of perceived learning difficulties differ from other young people in terms of social participation. The findings show that in the future, in comprehensive education teachers should pay attention to adolescents with perceived learning difficulties and provide them with support for both perceived learning difficulties and potential challenges with social participation.