Browsing by study line "Specialpedagogik"

The aim of this study was to explore general upper secondary school students´ experiences of well-being – what it consists of and what kind of support is needed from school. Legislation of general upper secondary education has been reformed in the fall of 2019. Because of the reform, greater attention should be paid for students´ well-being and learning support, and special education in general upper secondary education is statutory. Students´ well-being has been widely in public discussion lately. In previous research school burnout has been central. In this study, the aim was to approach the topic from a welfare perspective. The focus is on the students' own experiences. This study is a qualitative master´s thesis, where the target group was 29 general upper secondary school students from three different general upper secondary school. The research material was collected through six focus group interviews and questionnaires. In the study, students were able to share their own experiences and ideas regarding educational support, well-being and coping. The research material was analyzed by content analysis. Result from the study showed that students´ well-being consist of three dimensions: life management, school conditions and social relationships. Every dimension is further divided into several parts. Life management consists of self-direction, lifestyle and health. School conditions are divided into studies, the possibility of self-realization and the physical conditions of school. Social relationships consist of students´ own support network and the general atmosphere of general upper secondary school. Every dimension needs to be balanced so that adolescent´s well-being can be achieved. The research results highlighted the students' own role, but support from the general upper secondary school is needed.

Positive pedagogy relies on seeing the good in people and focusing on strengths. In addition to learning, the pedagogical trend aims to increase well-being and happiness. Character strength education, which is closely attached to positive pedagogy, supports everyone to grow into an incomparable person with their own unique set of character strengths. Previous research has shown that character strength education is widely associated with success in life in many different areas. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of character strength intervention based on See the good! -pedagogy developed by Finnish researchers Lotta Uusitalo and Kaisa Vuorinen. The study focused in particular on six character strengths, which were perseverance, self-regulation, perspective-taking ability, creativity, social intelligence, and teamwork skills. The study observed the possible change in students' understanding and development of the strengths during intervention. In addition, the study examined the importance of sex in possible changes produced by the character strength education. This longitudinal research was part of a larger project in Finland called #uuttakoulua. The research data was collected from students in basic education (n = 240) in two different parts with an electronic questionnaire. The study included both test group that received character strength education (n = 184) and a control group that participated in traditional education (n = 56). IBM SPSS Statistics 24 was used for data analyzes. The analysis methods were the analysis of variance of repeated measurements and the t-test of repeated measurements. The analyzes revealed that both the understanding of social intelligence and perseverance in the test group increased statistically significantly compared to the control group. There was no statistical significance in the development of strengths between the test and control groups. Despite this, self-regulation, perspective-taking ability and social intelligence improved regularly with the participants in test group. According to the analyzes, gender was not a determining factor in the study. The results suggest that the program has the potential to increase students' understanding of character strengths and develop related skills regardless of gender.

The psychometric properties, validity and reliability, of numeracy assessment have a significant role in identifying students’ special education needs in mathematics. Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the validity and reliability evidence of numeracy measures used by teachers at the elementary school for children aged 9 through 12 years. Methods: A systematic search of Cinahl, Embase, ERIC, PsychINFO and PudMed abstract databases was completed up to the March, 2020. The abstracts and articles were evaluated independently by two reviewers according to the inclusion criteria. Consensus was reached by discussions. Only peer-reviewed articles reporting psychometric properties of numeracy measures and published in English were included. Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P, 2015) guidelines were applied for reporting. The terminology and classification of psychometric properties followed the Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) guidelines. Three validity properties and three reliability properties were searched and extracted from the articles. Results: Of the 4763 abstracts 921 full-text articles were screened and 13 studies met the inclusion criteria of this review. Two additional studies were identified through reference search. Half of the psychometric properties of the numeracy measures were not studied and reported in the articles. All the six reliability and validity properties were found for one measure. The evidence on the psychometric properties was limited for most of the measures due to the incomplete or missing psychometric data. Conclusions: The validity and reliability of the measures is limited and further evidence and research is needed.

This article-based master’s thesis describes and examines the debate around the comprehensive school through the concept of inclusion. The material was obtained from the opinion pieces, published in the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat in 2009-2019. The dissertation was inspired by the international MAPS (Mixed classes And Pedagogical Solutions) project, which explores the opportunities of schools to meet the challenge of inclusion from a societal perspective. The cornerstone of the dissertation was the Salamanca Statement signed in 1994, in which Finland made a commitment to improve the educational inclusion. The aim was to find out, how inclusive school is constructed in opinion pieces, how the views of different groups of writers differed from each other, and how the core of the idea of inclusion – human rights and dignity – were reflected in the writings. An essential - and also timely - topic of discussion for the dissertation was the three-tier support model that came into force in 2011, which took the comprehensive school into more inclusive direction. In total, 94 opinion pieces was analysed in this study, to increase under-standing of how inclusion is defined in public discussion. Based on the opinion pieces, the inclusion was strongly linked to the relationship between the special and general education. The school was described as a place where the resources available, as well as the resilience and adequacy of teachers, do not meet the challenge of inclusion. In the end, relatively little attention was paid to the core of the idea of inclusion, human rights and dignity. The most challenging barrier for implementing the inclusive school was the behavioral problems. Based on the research data, inclusion was not opposed as an endeavour, but it seems that there are no possibilities to implement it due the lack of resources. This seems to cause a backlash, that turns many thoughts to the opposite, an exclusive direction. To secure everyone’s learning, new ways of discipline are needed. Research article “Savings and non-compliance with international agreements. Inclusion discussion of comprehensive school at the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper opinion column in 2009-2019” is to be published in the NMI-Bulletin magazine in autumn 2020.

The aim of this study was to provide more understanding and information about school-ing and school support about young people who have experienced out-of-home place-ment. Previous studies have shown that children in foster care face more challenges in school. The aim was to identify, analyse and describe the challenges in school and schooling outcomes of young people who have experienced foster care. In terms of support at school, factors related to effective support and issues where children per-ceived a lack of support where highlighted. The data for the study consisted of six young people who have experienced placement at some point in their lives and who spoke about their experiences in thematic inter-views. The interviewees were reached through the Nuorten turvasatama and the inter-views were conducted anonymously by using the Discord messaging application. The interview data was produced in November 2022. The study is qualitative, and the study design is phenomenographic. The analysis of the data was carried out using a data-driven content analysis. The results of the study implicated that mental health challenges were strongly present and hampered the school performance of youth who have experienced foster care. Mental health challenges impacted young people´s school careers from primary school onwards, with an increase in challenges in secondary school. The results of the study showed that young people had limited access to school-based help for mental challeng-es. Another factor that strongly emerged in the data as a barrier to schooling was school bullying. Bullying was linked to school satisfaction and in addition to school and group changes contributed to poor school adherence. Many of the problem areas identi-fied in the study could be addressed by modifying the school environment to facilitate school attachment. In addition, recourses are needed to ensure that there is time for genuine encounter and for identifying and responding to support needs.

The aim of this study was to identify the challenges that teachers of special education face in their work in a heterogeneous classroom with pupils with special needs and different learning difficulties. The goal was to identify the challenges they experience on a daily basis and what things bring joy to their work as teachers of special needs children. I also wanted to find out how special education teachers justify the need for special education and whether it should be developed or do they think that special needs education should be discontinued entirely and pupils should be transferred to ordinary classes in primary schools. The study selected teachers working in Swedish speaking schools in Finland with pupils in grades 7.–9. in special education. Methods. The study was conducted as both a quantitative and a qualitative study. The quantitative study was conducted using a structured e-questionnaire, which I sent by email to the target respondents. The e-survey form asked at first questions about the background information of the special education teachers, then the form was divided into four sections: (1) the respondents' experiences of their daily work and whether they feel their knowledge and professionalism are sufficient to teach pupils with special needs, (2) what kind of issues are part of their daily work, (3) what are the challenges related to pupils and finally (4) questions related to collaboration. I analyzed the quantitative data using IBM SPSS Statistical data editor version 28 software. In the last two questions of the questionnaire, the respondents were free to write their opinions about what things bring them joy in their work and how special education teachers justify the need for special education.I analysed the responses using qualitative data-driven content analysis. Results. I received 39 responses to the e-questionnaire, of which 61 % had a special education teacher’s qualification and the rest had a special education teacher’s qualification, other pedagogical qualification, or other qualification. The results of the survey showed that special education should be continued but practical changes should be made to ensure that special education is appropriate and that pupils in special education receive the support they are entitled to. The special education teachers provided many suggestions for improvement, many of which were profitable and even feasible without additional financial supp

Objectives. According to previous research, challenges related to behaviour are connected to teachers’ negative emotions and test the limits of their competence. This thesis approaches behavioural themes through special pedagogy and biopsychosocial, holistic thinking, and looks for perspectives to strengthen teachers' skills. The research consists of a methodological evaluation of peer-reviewed research articles and an analysis of the used models in accordance with the biopsychosocial model. The articles were retrieved from the ERIC, SCOPUS and EBSCO databases in September 2022, and the search was carried out without limiting the date of publication. The target population of the analyzed interventions were 11–18-year-old students who had behavioural challenges in everyday school life. Methods. The research was carried out as a systematic literature review. The reports of the interventions screened through the systematic database search were subjected to a methodological evaluation as a preliminary analysis.Evaluation was conducted with to the MMAT (Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool). Most of the analyzed studies (N=15 altogether) were case studies analyzed with quantitative methods, but the data included also two quantitative and two mixed-method studies. The question was what kind of biopsychosocial factors have been tried to be influenced by the behavioural interventions implemented in the school. The answer was sought by analyzing the articles that passed the quality assessment and their connection to biopsychosocial intervention planning was studied. Results and conclusions. According to the results of the analysis, four studies used a comprehensive assessment of the student's situation to support intervention planning. In two studies, evaluation was not used for planning, but it was used in interpreting the results. In other studies, no evaluation was performed. When the evaluation is not done as part of the intervention planning, the goal of the intervention is to influence the behaviour. When planning uses a biopsychosocial perspective, the goal is to influence the factors that lead to challenges related to behaviour in the student's school life and thereby ease the behaviour related challenges.

The basis of this research is the situation of educational equality in Finland. Previous research shows the strong heritability of education and the differentiation of students' skills according to socio-economic backgrounds. The influence of socio-economic backgrounds on learning outcomes has become even stronger in recent years. The skills learned and the competence achieved in primary and lower secondary education (basic education) can be defined as human capital. Capital deficits are linked to intergenerational disadvantage. Previous research suggests that there is a connection between receiving support at school and a weaker social background. This study, carried out with a qualitative research strategy, aims to answer what kind of work practices in special education in primary and lower secondary education aim to influence the learning and educational differences linked to the students' different socio-economic backgrounds. The research data consists six interviews (semi-structuded) of special education teachers working in the region of Southern Finland. The interview material is analyzed using qualitative content analysis. A key finding of the study is that the work of special education teachers reveals practices that seek to address learning and educational differences that are linked to students' socio-economic backgrounds. The work practices are divided into five categories: cooperation in student networks, understanding education and teaching as a broad entity, student-orientation as the basis of the teacher's work, and special education in the school's operational culture. The work practices have a close connection to the framework and concepts of the sociology of education and to the key factors of educational equality.

The aim of this study is to examine how teachers describe their pupils studying by activity areas. Pupils studying in activity based area education often have profound intellectual disabilities, mental disabilities or other medical disabilities or conditions. Previous research has shown that when describing pupils who receive special support the descriptions are often negative and focused on individual problems. Previous studies suggest that pupils studying by activity areas have increased variation in the amount of support they need in special needs, learning capacity and in their ability to function. The goal of this study was to determine how teachers describe their pupils abilities to learn and how learning actually takes place. In addition, the way teachers describe their pupil’s ability to function, personality and their interests were also studied. The data of this study consists of 19 interview transcripts of teachers in activity area based education. The interviews were collected across Finland during the INTO-project in 2018–2019.This study was conducted with qualitative research approach. Analysis was implemented with the procedures of qualitative content analysis and the results are presented with a thematic networks analysis method by Attride-Stirling (2001).The results were organized into basic themes, organizing themes and global themes. According to the results, the teachers viewed their pupils’ learning skills as being limited and that the learning process is gradual. Pupils were described has having wildly different abilities to function, but the results showed that with certain pupils their ability to function is greatly challenged and this was affected by several factors. According to the results the interests and skills of the students are usually strongly aimed at concrete things that they enjoy doing. Teachers used somewhat colourful and unique expressions about their pupils’ personalities. Based on the results the pupils in education arranged by activity areas have diverse needs of support and require very individualised teaching methods. Teachers perceive their profession to be challenging. Further research and discussions about adequate in-service training and developing the curriculum are needed.

The aim of this study was to establish which ways are used to support the learning of students whit an immigrant background and explore what kind of cooperation is done. Pupils with immigrant background are foreign language learners whose native language is different from the school's language of instruction. Language and language competency are key factors in learning. Emerging language skills can therefore create challenges for learning. Immigration has been on the rise since the 21st century and the number of foreign language learners has also been on the rise. It appears that in the future there will be a growing number of pupils in Finnish primary schools whose native language is not the same as the school's teaching language. The aim of this study is to highlight how these students are currently supported in Finnish primary school and in which ways. This study is a qualitative master's thesis. The research material was collected using an electronic questionnaire containing two open questions relating to the subject of the study. Research material was analysed using the ATLAS.TI software as an aid to analysis. In relation to the two open questions of the questionnaire, a total of 1289 respondents responded to this study, all serving as teachers in the primary school. Based on the results of the study, various means of learning support are used as support for students with an immigrant background. Cooperation of professionals from different fields of the school is also done to support those students. There are also challenges in supporting students with an immigrant backgrounds. Support for learning consisted of using individual learning material, differentiating, ensuring understanding, support for peers, and flexible teaching arrangements. In light of this as well as previous studies, support for students with an immigrant backgrounds are diverse and varied.