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The aim of this study was twofold: 1) to examine the structure of the job simulation test "Research Budget" and 2) to examine job simulation performance in relation to the extremes of personality traits and cognitive abilities in personnel assessment. Job simulation performance in this context was viewed as performance evaluations provided by the assessors of the simulation test. Previous research indicates that measures of personality and cognitive abilities are the primary correlates for job simulation performance, which supports the setting of this study. The participants (N=224) completed the assignments as a part of their assessment day at a Finnish Personnel Assessment Company. Measures used in this study were a job simulation test concerning decision making, a personality inventory Stress Reaction Styles, measuring the extremes of personality traits and three measures of cognitive abilities; Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices set II, Verbal Critical Reasoning (VCR) test and Numerical Reasoning (NR) test. All data was gathered from an internal database of the company between years 2013-2014. An explorative factor analysis was conducted to study the structure of the job simulation test. The relationship between, the different measures were examined by Pearson's correlation analyses and by linear regression analyses. The results of this study showed that four SRS-type dimensions of the extremes of personality. Dependent, Avoidant, Paranoid and Borderline and cognitive ability test VCR had moderate but significant correlations with job simulation performance. In addition Dependent and VCR moderately predicted job simulation performance.

The purpose of this study was to research how the leadership of kindergarten leaders is correlated to the quality of early childhood education. The correlation between leadership and early childhood education quality was studied from the perspective of personnel and parents. In addition this paper studied how parents and personnel experience the quality of early childhood education. In addition, the correlation between personnel’s as well as parents’ views about leadership and to their understanding of early childhood education quality was studied. It is important to study the correlation between early childhood education leadership and quality because leadership styles affects early childhood education quality (Vlasov ym., 2018, 46). The aim of this study is to find out what leadership factors are correlated to early childhood education. Once you have found the leadership factors, you are able to develop these forward. Research data was collected in 2019 from one early childhood education area in Helsinki. The data was collected by electronic questionnaire from early childhood education personnel (N = 14) and parents (N = 36). The questionnaire had allegations about early childhood education quality and leadership. Personnel’s and parents’ views of the early childhood education quality were studied by descriptive analysis. The correlations between personnel’s and parents’ assessments on leadership and their understanding of the early childhood education quality were investigated by non-parametric Kendall´s tau-b correlation test. For the analysis, sums of variables were created from the claim categories of the questionnaire. There were eight sums of variables on both personnel’s and parents’ questionnaires. Seven of the sums of variables included early childhood education quality claims and one sum of variables included the leadership claims. The personnel´s and parents’ answers implied that the quality of early childhood is positive. The respondent group gave especially high points to the claims that child’s early childhood education curriculum was being fulfilled and that personnel and parents had discussed child’s growth, teaching and care. Kindergarten’s leader’s leadership correlated with early childhood education´s functionality of the premises, versatility, safety and with the premises enabling time to be alone as well as group to operate. In addition, when leadership was seen as high-quality, personnel were more professionally skilled and engaged to work. By taking the findings into account, kindergarten leaders should acknowledge that by their own leadership abilities they might affect the quality of early childhood education.

Aims: The aim of the research is to identify the sphere of work among academic middle managers and the dilemmas they face in their profession. During this millennium, academic leadership as a research area has increased. Yet there is little research on the subject despite the fact that academic leadership is directly connected to a university’s main goals and tasks, and therefore linked to the university’s overall success. An academic middle manager is a supervisor, a coordinator, a strategic leader and a change agent. They have a wide range of tasks and they work with many stakeholders. The position is, by its nature, one where tensions arise, which is highlighted through the context of an academic work environment and its culture. The tensions in the position may increase if the career path of an academic middle manager falls on them unintentionally. During the past decade, there have been various changes in the universities, which have shaped both the organizational structure and the tasks of an academic leader. Methods: The research data consisted of eight semi-structured theme interviews that were collected from academic middle managers working at the University of Helsinki. The interviews were analyzed by using qualitative content analysis. The research follows an abductive strategy on the analysis part. Based on the analysis, two work task areas were emphasized and four dilemma groups were identified; community dilemmas, operative dilemmas, change dilemmas and leaders’ career dilemmas. Results and conclusions: The research highlighted two main areas in a middle manager’s sphere of work; 1) strategic and operative leadership and management, and 2) people leadership. Other tasks within their sphere of work had been delegated to others. The research also showed that middle managers face both weak and strong dilemmas in their work, which were categorized into the four dilemma groups introduced above. Within these four dilemma groups there were three dilemmas that especially created tension. The first was the tension between individualism and collectivism. The second was caused by the power dynamics of an academic middle manager and the academic community. Also, lack of time appeared in three different dilemma groups creating tension in different situations. The research showed evidence of the dilemmas that academic middle managers face. The evidence and results may be used for building academic leadership training programs.

The aim of this research is to find out the leaderships connection to learning environments and children's play in Early Childhood Education (ECE) by the next problems of the study: (1) What kind of leadership types there are in ECE? (2) What kind of connections there are between the types of leadership and learning environments? (3) What kind of connection there are between the types of leadership and children's play? There is no previous research about this topic so I will try to fulfill the gap on my account. The research was carried out by using the quantitative research methods: The Spearman Rank Order Correlation Coefficient (Rho), Principal Components Analysis, (PCA) and the frequency analysis. The theory of this paper based on research material by using the earlier theories about leadership, learning environments and children's play. The data used in this study was a part of the "Orientation project" -research by Jyrki Reunamo. There was 2889 children, 156 teams and their leaders, who took part in the study from thirteen different municipalities in Southern Finland. The response rate among leaders was 80 %. According to this research the leadership of ECE consists of five categories: The Pedagogical leadership, the Leadership of development, the Leadership of economy, troublesome leadership and weak leadership. To clarify comparison, five types of leadership were compressed to two types: The Quality leadership and the Demanding leadership. According to the results there are some connections between leadership, learning environments and children's play. From the results it can be deduced that if the leader thinks that she/he is "The Quality leader" learning environments are more versatile, more high-quality and children have more opportunities for rich and versatile play. Children have also many opportunities for free play. If the leader thinks that it is demanding to lead personnel, the play of children is more physical. There are also fewer opportunities for supported play or controlled play. It is very important to develop and improve the quality of leadership so that the play of children can be of highest quality.

The aim of this thesis was to approach the process of change common to the whole school as it transitioned to a new school building and learning environment. The theme was approached from the point of view of both principals and teachers, and the aim was to find out how principals and teachers have experienced working in a flexible learning space. New learning environments have sparked a lot of debate recently, both in the media and in school communities. Active co-operation in everyday life is typical of flexible learning spaces. The flooring and furnishing solutions of the premises support the implementation of diverse teaching methods, and flexible spaces have reported to be characterized by the utilization of multidisciplinary learning and project work. In the implementation of teaching, emphasizes learner-centered approach and attention to the individual needs of students. The thesis was carried out in co-operation with the Tulevaisuuden koulu 2030 research project. The study was a qualitative case study, and the analysis method was used for data-driven content analysis. Interviews with three principals and two teachers were used as research material. In addition to this, the material included spatial walk notes from one of the schools. The data was collected by the project in 2023. The research results described the school management and teachers' experiences of adapting to the new learning environment in a diverse manner. Both the principals and some of the teachers were satisfied with the operation of the learning environment and the opportunities it provided to implement teaching. Co-teaching was said to be utilized in everyday work that supported the well-being of the school community. However, the experience of one school in the implementation of teaching differed much from that of the others studied. At the specific school, the learning environment did not support co-operated activities and facilities that should support flexibility and diverse learning opportunities were perceived to limit them. The thesis describes the experience of certain schools in adapting to a new learning environment, the results of which can also benefit those who are still in the process of change.

Meat production has a number of negative effects on the environment, the climate and the welfare of farm animals. In addition, the consumption of red meat and meat products in particular is linked to a number of lifestyle diseases and certain types of cancer. In Finland, meat is consumed in excess regarding recommendations, and most Finns are not ready to give up eating meat altogether. Studies have shown that people perceive meat as natural, normal, necessary and comfortable. In other words, meat is perceived as food that people want to consume. Health reasons and ethical reasons most often motivate the transition to a vegetarian diet. In addition, ecological reasons have been identified as an important motive for the partial reduction of meat intake. This study examined how meat and it’s substitutes are part of the everyday eating of Finns and what changes have taken place in the consumption of meat and vegetable proteins in 2013 and 2020. The topic is approached with a qualitative research approach, which also includes quantitative features due to the large data size. The material in my research is in two parts; the first sub-dataset contains 485 food day descriptions from 2013 and the second sub-dataset contains 445 food day descriptions from 2020. The main method of data analysis is theory-driven content analysis. In the data, most of the respondents consumed meat or fish during their day. However, in the 2020 data set, holding a vegetarian food day was slightly more common, and plant proteins were consumed more variably than in the 2013 data set. Consuming meat turned out to be an everyday and easy choice based on the data. The most common reasons for reducing meat consumption were the desire to eat healthier, more ecologically and ethically. In addition, in the 2020 data, the choice of vegetarian food was influenced by the ease of cooking and the taste of the food. Many respondents said they were concerned about the climate and animal rights and were actively working towards a more vegetarian diet. Based on this study, the shift toward a more vegetable based diet has occurred fairly effortlessly and naturally. However, a discrepancy between knowledge, attitudes and practice can be identified in the respondents 'descriptions of the food day, as the respondents' attitudes are practically realized in only some of the descriptions of the food day. According to this study, meat consumption is not polarized, and the majority of respondents fall into the middle ground in terms of meat-related values ​​and consumption habits. In addition, the majority of respondents were positive about the plant-based nature of food. According to a previous study, a mere positive attitude may not be reflected in consumption at a practical level, which is why new ways are needed in the future to support consumers' shift towards a vegetarian diet.

The purpose of the research was to give a micro level perspective to joy of learning. In the theoretical part of the research I study the concepts of learning, emotion and joy of learning. Learning is seen in this research as a social action. The research problem was: In what kind of situations is joy of learning visible in the video material of the high school students' school day? The research material of the first grade high school students was recorded in a high school during three days. I analyzed the material with the help of conversation analysis, which gave tools for the detailed processing of the material. For the analysis, I chose interaction situations in which there was initial evidence of joy of learning. The choice criterions were laughter, vocal pitch, volume, prosody, facial expressions and gestures. The analysis shows that joy of learning was visible during the school day. In the classroom, the students expressed their emotion less intense than outside of the classroom, although the topics of the interaction situations were the same.

Aim of the study. Literature has many positive impacts on the reader. Besides adding knowledge reading enhances social skills, adds empathy and helps to build ones self-image. Through fictitious literature like fairytales one can deal with moral problems and behavioral patterns in a safe environment. Still, every reader interprets text in his own way and both evaluates and process the meaning of it. The purpose of this study was to analyze how first graders and third graders interprets the fairytale chosen and how they evaluate fair action in this fairytale. Methods. Material for this study was collected from elementary school in Helsinki in March 2015. The story chosen for this study, The Little Red Hen, was read to ten pupils from first grade and ten pupils from third grade. Then each pupil answered to semi-structured interview. The material gained from the interviews was transcribed. This study was theory bound qualitative study and gained information was analyzed using content analysis and discourse analysis. The aim was to find out what kinds of discourses can be found in students' perceptions of the fairness of the fairy tale. Also differences between the grades were opened in the study. Results and conclusions. According to this study the third graders were further on both abstract thinking and in evaluating fair actions of the fairytale than the first graders. Still, the differences weren't big and results varied also individually. The discourses found on the material were the discourse of physical reward, the discourse of reciprocity and the discourse of social norms.

Purpose. The purpose of this study is to describe the factors that influence junior high age young people as they connect with friends and peer groups, especially from the view of a student who is somehow distinct from the group. The term somehow distinct is used to encompass the wide variety of factors that may influence an adolescent who is left to the fringes or totally outside of a peer group. As inclusion and multiculturalism increases in schools it is important to understand adolescent belief and value systems in order to create an atmosphere that is open to diversity and strengthens peer relationships at school. This study examines short essays by young people on the subject of being an outsider to their peer groups and the preconditions and terms of friendships. In addition, what circumstances support or prevent the ability to join a group and form friendships. In past years this topic has been researched from the point of view of the experiences of special needs students and of general adolescent peer relations. (Ellonen, 2008; Hoikkala & Paju 2013; Korkiamäki, 2014; Koster, Nakken , Pijl & van Houten 2009; Saarinen 2012). In this work the angle of approach is the thoughts and feelings that the somehow distinct adolescent brings out in the peers representing the majority of the group and how to support him/her in order to get to join the group and how to strengthen his/her social competence. Methods. For this study, data was collected from two secondary schools. The students were selected from one class at each school and a total of 49 students returned write-ups. Essays were prompted by four questions about what it means to be an outsider, what factors lead to being outside of the group and the conditions for the process of forming peer relations. Student essays were transcribed and sorted by theme. Themes that emerged were then interpreted by using content analysis. Results and conclusions. The research highlighted the challenges that diversity poses in adolescent groups. Young people looked for direction from adults and guidance in situations where someone was outside of the group. They also brought forth ideas how the social competence of a young person distinct from the group could be supported. Group dynamics and general social climate in the classroom seemed to influence how diversity was handled. There were subtle differences between boys and girls as far as what components supported and what prevented the forming of peer relations. Girls were especially influenced by outward appearances and favored the opinions of girls high up in the class social hierarchy as to who should be accepted in the group. Boys' ability to form peer relations were supported more by social skills and mutual conversation topics and hobbies.

Tiivistelmä - Referat - Abstract In recent years, open-plan schools have been widely discussed in schools, homes and the media. There are both passionate supporters and unwavering opponents to these more open and adaptable environments. There is a limited amount of research evidence for new learning environments, but they are still common in many schools around Finland. This master`s thesis examines the opinions of classroom teachers about the advantages and disadvantages of new learning environments in primary education. Classroom teachers are also allowed to tell what kind of new learning environment would be best suited for primary education. The research material has been collected from two Facebook groups of teachers. A total of 22 classroom teachers responded to the survey. Respondents wrote their answers freely. The material was analyzed using the method of data-driven content analysis. The majority were positive about the new learning environments in primary education. Teachers said that the new learning environments benefit beginners in many ways: for example, students learn to work together and develop their thinking and learning skills. They facilitate functional and diverse teaching. Students can be divided and flexibly divided into different groups and differentiation is easy. On the other hand, teachers also carefully described the challenges of new learning environments in the primary school context. Often new learning environments have too much noise and stimuli. Respondents put forward many ideas how existing environments should be modified to allow for quality primary education.