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Informal learning is learning that takes place outside the school system. It happens in everyday situations that were not meant to be educational in the first place. Out-of-school environments are considered to produce positive effects on pupils’ interest, motivation and attitudes. The main aim of this study was to find out how math worth and interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) education differed among 12-year-old pupils before and after visiting an Informal Math and Art Exhibition. Additionally, the aim was to find out if it is possible to utilize an out-of-school environment to teach 21st century skills. Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics (STEAM) pedagogy aims to improve pupils’ skills in innovation and creativity by combining elements from science and art. STEAM combines reality and education and aims to provide understanding of how things work while simultaneously guiding pupils’ technology skills. The learning context was a Math and Art Exhibition that was part of international CREATIONS-project. In this study, there were 256 12-year-old pupils from five different schools in Jyväskylä, Finland. The research material was gathered in 2 parts: pretests one week before the exhibition visit and posttests around a week after the visit. Nine out of ten students felt that the exhibition increased their interest in STEM. Boys who succeeded well in the Raven-test were the most interest in STEM. The increase in interest was, however, unrelated to gender or prior interest in STEM. Math worth was low among pupils who achieved low grades at school and scored low points on the Raven test. Math worth did not increase because of the exhibition visit, but differences in math worth were diminished. Pupils’ autonomous experience and situational interest were key factors regarding both math worth and interest. According to this study, even short-term out-of-school learning increases interest and evens out pupils’ math worth. In the light of this study the out-of-school learning environment can be seen as a fruitful and interesting way to learn that could also work as an excellent way to teach 21st century skills.

The objective of this research is to study cultural imagery within inclusivity driven learn-ing environments, particularizing in visual aid and the representation of diversity. The subject of the research is visual aid pictures found in the learning environments of public day care centers in Helsinki. The focus of the research is to examine what kind of visual aid pictures are selected to be used in the public areas of the day care centers and if they portray their user. The user be-ing a diverse customer group, based on the values of inclusive early childhood education suitable for all. Do the visual aid pictures depict the features of the majority groups, or are disparities disclosed in the imagery selected? Diversity and disparities are defined accord-ing to prior theory taking into consideration the perspectives of the narratives. In which ways are the majority groups or deviation from it portrayed in Finnish early childhood education and is the opposition of these concepts visible in the selection of vis-ual aid used in the learning environments? Prior theory states that the main values in in-clusive early childhood education revolve around a child’s sense of being seen and heard. In order to produce a sense of being seen and heard for all children, the chosen imagery must also depict this. All children have the right to be seen and accepted for who they are and experience social cohesion within inclusive early childhood education regardless of their heritage, physical features and abilities, gender, illness, disability or belonging to any other minority group. The data was compiled between December 2022 and February 2023. The data collection was executed by photographing visual aid pictures inside of public day care centers in five different ECE districts of Helsinki. The data was analyzed by using qualitative content analysis and quantitative coding. Empirical information was formed by means of coding, responding to the research problems about the quantity of diversity visible. The research hypothesis is that the diversity visible in the used visual aid pictures varies between different ECE districts, according to the customer base and employees. If the em-ployees are qualified and adequately educated, it can be presumed that the pedagogically selected visual aid is of good quality and portrays values of inclusion well. If the customer base of the day care center is diverse, it can be assumed that diversity is seen as the norm in the visual aid pictures. The availability of visual aid pictures can be presumed to have an impact on the selection. If the results indicate that visual aid pictures are selected from a sparse source base, it will reduce the quantity and extent of diversity and disparities. The main hypothesis of the research is, that visual aid which a child relates to and reminds a child of itself increases the experience and sense of being seen and heard, advancing the actualization of the values of inclusive early childhood education.

Inclusive education is based on the idea that all children have a right to attend and to be welcomed by their neighbourhood schools in regular classes. Indeed, in the dominant educational debate the appropriateness of separate systems of education has been challenged, both from a human rights perspective and from the point of view of effectiveness. In spite of that the inclusive movement has been slow in Finland and research has widely demonstrated that the attitudes of the teachers towards inclusion are quite qualified. The aim of this study was to review what are the attitudes of the students' of the Department of Teacher Education towards inclusion and how they feel their education supports the principles of inclusive education. In addition, this study investigates how familiar the students are with The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and if the knowledge of the convention correlates with the attitudes towards inclusion. The approach in this study was survey research. The sample was comprised of 119 students studying at the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Helsinki. The data was collected by means of a questionnaire that included Prof. Timo Saloviita's Inclusion meter and statements about the Convention on the Rights of the Child, inclusion and the students' experience about their education. The material was analyzed by statistical methods. The attitudes of the student teachers to inclusion appeared to be slightly positive. The education programme or other variables did not affect the attitudes towards inclusion. The students felt their education programmes support the principles of inclusive education slightly. The Convention on the Rights of the Child was unfamiliar to the students. The knowledge of the convention did not correlate with the overall attitudes towards inclusion, but the correlation was positive when the attitudes towards inclusion were considered more precisely from the point of view of expected outcomes and inclusion as a value. The qualified attitudes on average towards inclusion demonstrates that a notable number of the students resists inclusion. From the rights of the child point of view the Department of Teacher education should draw attention to this and base the training on these facts. The department should also find ways to change students' approach to inclusion.

Aims. According to statistics it seems that the amount of special educational needs have increased despite the Finnish education system's strive for inclusion. The aim of this study is to examine what sort of phenomenon inclusion is in speech of early childhood special education teachers' and which factors in their speech produce special educational needs particularly in a context of children on the autism spectrum. Research questions are: 1) What definitions are given to inclusion in speech of early childhood special education teachers' in a context of children on the autism spectrum? 2) What are the factors in speech of early childhood special education teachers' that produce special educational needs in a context of children on the autism spectrum? The goal of this study is also to participate in discussion of how factors producing difference and preventing inclusion in early childhood education can be disposed of and how to build more inclusive early childhood educational system. Methods. This study was carried out using theme interviews with five early childhood special education teachers' from Helsinki. The study material was analysed using abductive content analysis and was reflected to earlier literature about inclusion. Results and conclusions. The definitions given to inclusion were taking individual needs into account, rebuilding educational system, fulfilling individual rights, multiprofessional cooperation, cooperation with parents, participation, being accepted, neighborhood principle, learning in normal groups, learning in integrated special groups, and being in the same space physically. Integrated special groups were found to be as a good way of carrying out inclusion but that finding leads to the need for a redefinition of the concept of inclusion itself. The factors producing special educational needs were features of the autism spectrum disorder, attitudes of educators, insufficient resources, lack of competence of people working with children and psychobabble. The early childhood educational system also does not seem to be suitable for all children and the three-dimensional model of support does not always work as intended. Autism spectrum disorder itself was found to produce only a part of special ed-ucational needs whereas environment and current early childhood educational system were found to strongly produce special educational needs. In summary educators seem to be well aware of the ideal of inclusion at least in theoretical level but in practice early childhood educational system produces special educational needs and inclusion is not always achieved to the level aimed for. Instead of only concentrating on child's features in future there should be an increasing focus on how the whole early childhood educational system could improve.

This thesis is about determine the meaning of inclusion in Finnish education system and policies. Defining inclusion is culturally challenging, because it has its own forms in every country and every country has their own educational system with their own history in education policies. Inclusion is the latest newcomer in modern educational discourse and has not yet been generally accepted by common consent. Topic is hot potato in education field and there is a lot of demand defining inclusion in educational sciences, to deeper the understand behind it. My research is founded on valued Finnish scientific publications. My data is collected from Kasvatus- lehti, from which I picked 10 articles among approximately 400 publications. My research methods rely upon content analyse, hermeneutical and phenomenological approaches. Use of my methods require proper review of my background as a researcher to make my study credible, which can be found in this thesis. This way reader can justify my results. The results of this study made even clearer the challenge of defining the word inclusion in Finland is a challenge. Results showed that it is in clear relation to word integration, almost acting as synonym. This confusion of between different ideology and concept has big impact on educational policy, wasting time and resources on developmental projects towards inclusive education in Finland. In brief, in through my comprehensive data, inclusion in Finland would constite to be democratic, accessible and social construct, that welcomes everybody to join in multiprofessional work community, no matter their qualities or disabilities. Importance of this study is to bring definition and continue the debate about inclusive education in Finland and internationally, and how inclusive education would progress in Finnish education system.

In today's society it is desirable to be successful and continuously progressive. At the same time it is seen important to focus on one's well-being and seeking optimal experiences. In studying, the interaction between motivation and well-being as well as the importance of positive learning experiences is an actual entirety. Taking students conceptions of learning and knowledge into account brings in a richer perspective that has been less frequently studied. Conceptions of learning and knowledge, otherwise epistemologies, are crucial in governing student's ways of interpreting and evaluating information, as well as their view on the learning process. An important recent insight on the field of educational research is the growing idea that motivational, emotional and cognitive dimensions are not only intrinsically significant, but also in intense interaction with each other and with the learning environment. The aim of this study was to investigate what kinds of motivational factors and problems in well-being do novice students experience in their studies, and also what their epistemologies are like. The approach was person-oriented. Motivational factors were: experienced challenge and competence, thinking strategies and attributions, and study engagement. Problems in well-being were measured through emotional dimension (stress, exhaustion) on the one hand, and through motivational dimension (lack of interest, task avoidance) on the other. Epistemologies measured in this study were: collaborative knowledge building, reflective learning, metacognition, certainty of knowledge and practical value. The data (n=785) were collected in spring and autumn 2012 by using a questionnaire developed by RYM Indoor Environment project. The participants were first and second year students from Aalto university of Technology and four departments in University of Helsinki: Department of Teacher education, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Theology, and Faculty of Law. K-means cluster analysis was used for clustering students into homogenous groups that presented their experienced motivational factors. To see whether the groups differed in terms of problems in well-being or epistemologies, Oneway analysis of variance was conducted. Also potential differences in certain background variables were investigated by using crosstabs (gender, study discipline) and Kruskal-Wallis test (age). Three studying profiles were identified: 1) pessimistic, 2) bored, 3) engaged. Pessimistic students reported the lowest study engagement, optimism and competence and the highest task avoidance and problems in well-being. They valued certain knowledge the most. Bored students experienced the lowest challenge, quite low study engagement and moderate optimism, competence and lack of interest. They reported the lowest practical value of knowledge. Engaged students had the highest study engagement, optimism and competence, lowest task avoidance and the least problems in well-being. They valued collaborative knowledge building, reflective learning and metacognition the most. There were not found gender differences between the studying profiles. Instead, it turned out that pessimistic students were the youngest. When comparing different study disciplines, the results indicated that in the Department of Teacher education, as well as in the Faculties of Law and Theology, the largest section of participants was identified as engaged students. Among participants from Aalto university and the Department of Chemistry, the largest section was identified as pessimistic students. This study demonstrates the idea of the dynamic interplay between motivational, emotional and cognitive dimensions in studying. In conclusion, students personal motivational factors, well-being and epistemologies form unique entireties. It can be deduced on the basis of earlier research, that these entireties are of utmost importance regarding studying and can be either worthwhile or detrimental to it. In the future, more proof is needed about the concrete relations and potential effects on study success, for example, as supporting successful studying and graduating on schedule are topical politico-educational subjects in Finland. Also little is known about the relations between well-being and epistemologies. The results of this study could be utilized in developing and designing higher education.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate second year engineering students' engagement in studying by exploring students' cognitive-attributional strategies, approaches to learning and conscientiousness. In this study the relationships between those factors were examined. The purpose was also to explore different cognitive-attributional profiles among students, based on the cognitive-attributional strategies they used in their studies. The differences in approaches to learning and conscientiousness between the profiles were examined. Methods: The participants of this study were 111 second year engineering students at Aalto-university School of Engineering. The data was collected during autumn 2014 as a paper version and using electronic questionnaire. The data was analysed by using the SPSS statistical program. Analyses methods were factor analysis, Pearson's correlation, cluster analysis, analysis of variance and Kruskall-Wallis test. Results and Conclusions: The results revealed that based on the correlations students used more deep approach to learning, optimistic strategy and optimistic social reaction style than surface approach to learning, avoidance strategy and pessimistic social reaction style. In addition, students evaluated themselves as conscientious in their studies. Three different cognitive-attributional profiles were formed. Students in the first profile were optimistic in their studies and in social situations and they did not use avoidance strategy. In this profile students used more deep approach to learning, organised studying and were more conscientious compared to the other two profiles. In addition, they used less surface approach to learning. Compared to the first profile, in the second profile students were more pessimistic in social situations and used avoidance strategy. They adopted less the deep approach, organised studying and were less conscientious in their studies. The third profile was similar to the second in that students used avoidance strategy. However, students in the third profile were optimistic in social situations. It can be assumed, that students who are conscientious, use optimistic strategy, deep approach to learning and are organised in their studies, are highly engaged with their studies. Supporting students' engagement in learning the learning environment should be encouraging and offer opportunities to improve learning skills. It is also important that students get to know each other well at the beginning of their studies.

There has been done some research on the relationship between girls and media before, but the amount of current studies is very little because of the vast change of media culture. Also the perspective of these researches has rarely been in the girls them selves. Thereby the porpoise of this research is to enlighten sixth grade girls' perspectives on the phenomenon at hand. The goal is to find out how these girls' interpret the female image of visual media culture and how media effects on the development of their self-image. Girls' thoughts on the necessity of media education are also in a significant role. Theme interview that was done in groups was the method that was used in this research to collect the data. Sixteen sixth grade girls were interviewed in five interview groups. Three base materials representing visual media culture were used in the theme interviews. The collected data was analyzed by theory-guided content analysis. The data was categorized mostly to themes that rose from the interviews and and results were compared to the theoretical framework. The results of this research were divided into three broader themes that were convergent with the research questions. First of all the girls analyzed and interpreted the female image of media culture. Sexualization was clearly seen in all of the base materials, but the girls reacted more disapprovingly to the material that was closet to their own everyday context. It is easier for the girls to accept sexualization in public media culture, where the objectification of women has become an ordinary phenomenon. Secondly the girls discussed medias influence on their self-esteem. The girls expressed how they get inspired through the pictures they see in media and discussed on the meaning it has on their clothing and appearance ideals. They make purchase decisions and admire sporty bodies through media, yet the true influence was hard to recognize for some of the girls. Be-cause of the many effects that media has, the girls think that issues related to it should also be talked about in school. Especially the risks and problematic situations that media contains were seen as something that should be dealt with together. All in all the sixth grade girls showed as skill-full agents of media culture, for whom social media especially is a significant part of every day life.

It has been suggested that semantic information processing is modularized according to the input form (e.g., visual, verbal, non-verbal sound). A great deal of research has concentrated on detecting a separate verbal module. Also, it has traditionally been assumed in linguistics that the meaning of a single clause is computed before integration to a wider context. Recent research has called these views into question. The present study explored whether it is reasonable to assume separate verbal and nonverbal semantic systems in the light of the evidence from event-related potentials (ERPs). The study also provided information on whether the context influences processing of a single clause before the local meaning is computed. The focus was on an ERP called N400. Its amplitude is assumed to reflect the effort required to integrate an item to the preceding context. For instance, if a word is anomalous in its context, it will elicit a larger N400. N400 has been observed in experiments using both verbal and nonverbal stimuli. Contents of a single sentence were not hypothesized to influence the N400 amplitude. Only the combined contents of the sentence and the picture were hypothesized to influence the N400. The subjects (n = 17) viewed pictures on a computer screen while hearing sentences through headphones. Their task was to judge the congruency of the picture and the sentence. There were four conditions: 1) the picture and the sentence were congruent and sensible, 2) the sentence and the picture were congruent, but the sentence ended anomalously, 3) the picture and the sentence were incongruent but sensible, 4) the picture and the sentence were incongruent and anomalous. Stimuli from the four conditions were presented in a semi-randomized sequence. Their electroencephalography was simultaneously recorded. ERPs were computed for the four conditions. The amplitude of the N400 effect was largest in the incongruent sentence-picture -pairs. The anomalously ending sentences did not elicit a larger N400 than the sensible sentences. The results suggest that there is no separate verbal semantic system, and that the meaning of a single clause is not processed independent of the context.

Aims. The purpose of this single-case study was to investigate the effects of intensive tablet-based treatment in overall language performance level and in reading and writing processes in mild aphasia. The communicative effectiveness and task performances on the tablet software were also studied. The tablet software included tasks where semantic, syntactic and phonological processing were required; written naming, sentence writing and reading comprehension. Previous studies have indicated improvements in language skills after computer-based treatment (Katz & Wertz, 1997; Wade, Mortley & Enderby, 2003). Especially reading and writing skills can be treated by the computer-based softwares (Katz, 2008). Methods & Procedures. In this single subject research the ABA design was used. The participant in this study was a 47 year old man who had a stroke 2.5 years earlier. He had a mild chronic aphasia with difficulties in writing, reading and naming. The data of this study was formed by linguistic tests and by a self-assessment method as the participant evaluated his communicative effectiveness (CETI). The methods used in the analysis of written and read narratives included assessing rate, authenticity and the types of errors. The analysis of written narratives also included assessing word classes and type-token –ratio. Based on the data by the tablet-based software the rate and the share of errors of task performances were assessed. Results & Conclusions. Based on the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) results, the severity of the aphasia decreased but the change was not clinically significant. Naming improved but the change wasn't stable until the follow-up. The participant showed positive development in his written and reading production; he made less spelling and reading errors after the treatment. At the same time reading and writing processes became slower. The share of lexical verbs, adjectives, pronouns and numerals increased in written narratives. The communicative effectiveness improved. The task performance on the tablet software was faster during the fourth week compared to the first week. Also the amount of incorrect performances decreased or remained the same. Based on the results, an intensive self-monitored tablet-based language treatment was effective to the subject.