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Over the last decade computers have become widespread in primary schools and typing has become a common task in school life alongside handwriting. Handwriting and typing differ in many ways, although similarities can also be found. Previous studies have indicated that in studying languages, handwriting has benefits in memorisation over typing. This study was conducted to explore if there was a similar effect between writing methods in memorisation in environmental studies. The study was carried out as an experimental intervention study, in which participants practiced memorising Finnish plant and animal species. 42 third-grade students from three classes from a primary school in Helsinki participated in the study. Within each class the participants were randomly assigned into two groups, 22 of them writing by hand and 20 of them typing on a laptop. All participants performed all the exercises and memorisation tests according to the assigned writing method. First, a baseline test was performed to determine how many of the 30 species the participants already knew. After the baseline test, the participants practiced four times 15 minutes. In the practice sessions they wrote on a form the Finnish names of each species five times under the photos of the species. During the practice, the participants were instructed to check the names of the species from a reference sheet. The number of completed tasks was recorded as a variable measuring the amount of practice. After the practice sessions, memorisation was measured with a test on the same species without the reference sheet. The data was analysed with two covariance analyses: a pre-registered repeated measures covariance analysis and an exploratory covariance analysis, both using the amount of practicing as a covariate. When the amount of training had been controlled, neither of the covariance analyses showed statistically significant effect between the writing methods on memorisation. Instead, the amount of practice and previous knowledge had a statistical significance on memorisation. This study provided new information on the impact of writing methods on memorisation in the context of environmental studies. The results showed that the writing method had no effect on memorisation when studying environmental studies. Based on the limitations of this study, no strong recommendations can be made on the advantages or benefits of either writing method in environmental studies. Further research is needed to provide a stronger scientific basis for the possible use of digital devices in schools.

Tiivistelmä - Referat – Abstract The aim of this study was to develop and test a survey instrument based on systemic motivational thinking. The 16-dimensional instrument was operationalized on the basis of Lindfors’s holistic system theory (Lindfors, 1995) and theoretical integration of motivation (Ford & Smith 2009). In addition, the goal of this study was to understand the motivation of the Finnish craft hobbyists and the differences between groups(!) The participants of the study were reached through craft-oriented Facebook groups and members were asked about different aspects of motivation. The quantitative data (N=3409) was collected from Facebook groups in January 2020. First, the data was tested for validity and suitability for the further tests. An overview of the motivation was carried out with descriptive tests. For further testing the theory-based sum variables were created and operationalization was verified from correlation and Cronbach’s Alpha values. The dimensional differences between group means were examined through variance analysis. The conclusion was that the most important motivational factors for all craft hobby groups were pleasure, coping and pride for choices. The result of variance analysis revealed several statistically significant differences. Electric and metal hobbyists regarded skillfulness as an important factor. For woodcraft hobbyists, self-development had a high significance. For ceramic and jewelry hobbyists the creative experience was emphasized. Among knitters the significance of the craft hobby in life generally was rated high as well as the importance of material resources. Sewists rated highly ecological sustainability and social factors as well as the meaning of the craft products itself. Crochet or weaving and embroidery hobbyists did not have any specific motivational factor to stand out.

Goals. The intention of the research was to examine the conceptions of learning in the Finnish National Core Curriculum 2014 and which factors are seen important in learning in the curriculum. The intention was explicate how these factors of learning are conceptualized and what curriculum possibly leaves unarticulated in relation to learning. Methods. The object of my research was the Finnish national core curriculum 2014. The research was conducted as theory-driven content analysis, where I categorized the data to themes related to learning that were constructed abductively in an analytical process between reading of learning theories and analysing the core curriculum text. Results and conclusions. As a result the research represents a reconstruction of the conceptions and elements of learning that the national core curriculum 2014 leans. Eleven factors were associated to learning, and these form a basis for the conceptions of learning onto which the curriculum is based on. These factors were active agency, joy of learning, functionality, experiential learning, collaborative learning, exploratory working, creativity, critical thinking, sustainability, competence and autonomy. However the curriculum brings out these factors of learning from a restricted point of view. I perceived in light of my abductive analysis five issues that the curriculum does not mention or deal with. These are 1) the curriculum leaves undefined the concept of agency, 2) the curriculum does not refer to negative feelings and aspects related to learning, 3) the curriculum encourages to persistence in learning, but does not talk about how to support such efforts in learning, 4) the curriculum encourages to collaboration in learning but does not talk about how to support working together and sense of togetherness, 5) the curriculum leads teacher to encourage students to creativity, but does not talk about how to support creativity in learning. I perceived that the curriculum describes things, that teaching should produce, but it doesn’t offer tools to carry them out. It is also problematic, that the curriculum describes some of the factors associated to learning from certain point of views, when understanding of these factors will be slight and concrete execution will be challenging.

Writing is one of the most important skills learned in school. Studies have indicated that pupils' writing skills need improvement which evokes to observe the practices of teaching writing. This thesis contemplates the teaching of writing from the feedback's point of view. The goal of my thesis is to find out what kind of conceptions the sixth-graders have about the feedback they receive from writing and how pupils describe the meaning and effectiveness of feedback. Research type was qualitative study. Data was gathered from three different classes by using method of empathy-based stories. Data consists of 69 pupils empathy-based stories that deals with response given from the opinion essays. Material was analysed by using qualitative theory-guided content analysis. Study indicated that according to pupils' stories feedback wasn't given until the text was finished. Response consisted mainly of text evaluation. In the pupils' stories the response was given verbally and in writing generally by classmates and the teacher. Besides the content of the text and pupils working effort, the feedback was often focused on opinions in the text. When feedback was given by the classmates it was sometimes targeted at the pupil receiving the response and contained inappropriate features such as mocking. Empathy-based stories showed that feedback clearly had a meaning but experience of the feedback may consist of many different factors. In the story conceptions and expectations considering the feedback had the most influence on pupil's experience. In most cases feedback had an effect on pupil's experience at emotional level. In the stories feedback was also seen to have an influence on future writing, pupil's self-esteem, conception of feedback and person giving it. The results showed that the pupils have lots of resources to reflect the quality of the feedback and its meaning for the writer. According to the stories the benefit of feedback was tangential from the writings point of view and the idea of giving feedback was in accordance with conventional evaluative feedback. I think the results support the idea that feedback should be more firm part of the actual writing process. The person receiving the feedback should be more active and the pupils' aptitudes to utilize the feedback should be supported more.

Garden Lupin (Lupinus polyphyllus), classified as an invasive species in Finland, poses a significant threat to biodiversity by negatively impacting native meadow plants and butterfly populations. This thesis explores the utilization of lupin flowers as a natural dye for dyeing merino wool yarn. Experimental research investigates the effects of dyeing conditions on hues and examines the wash and lightfastness properties of the dyed yarns. Blue and violet lupin flowers were utilized as dye sources in the study. The assumption is that dyeing with lupin flowers may not yield a permanent colour due to the degradation of anthocyanin pigments in sunlight. Yarn samples dyed with four different methods underwent standard wash fastness tests using both alkaline standard detergent and pH-neutral detergent. Lightfastness tests were conducted on both washed and unwashed samples, and results were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results indicate that lupin flowers produce blue colour on wool when using fresh flowers at a low dyeing temperature. Turquoise hues are achieved with fresh lupin flowers at a high dyeing temperature. Dried flowers and using the dye bath again both result in a muddy brown shade. All dyed samples exhibited moderate lightfastness and good wash fastness. Furthermore, in samples washed with a pH-neutral detergent, the hue remained visually consistent, while in samples washed with an alkaline standard detergent, the hues changed. The study provides a perspective on craftivism, where utilizing Garden Lupin as a dye becomes part of invasive species control. Since the plant is an easily accessible source of dye, it would be interesting to expand the research and thoroughly examine the plant's potential uses as a natural dye.

The purpose of the study was to investigate how experience in recreational crafts aids students in their work on a course for a new craft technique, i.e. basketry. The idea emerged from my own reflections as a basketry instructor. On the courses, some students work adeptly and produce skilful basketry despite being involved in basketry for the first time. The hypothesis was that previous involvement in recreational crafts yields a positive influence on learning a new craft technique. The study population included two groups enrolled at an adult education centre, one of which comprised craft enthusiasts participating on a basketry course taught by me. Eleven adult women enrolled in the course. The second group constituted the control group and was collected from among willing students participating in courses not related to crafts at the adult education centre. Ten adult women signed up for the control group, 9 of whom completed the entire course and one dropped out before the final basketry technique. The research question was: In what way is prior involvement in recreational crafts evident in learning a new skill? An answer to this question was sought by observing video recordings of the courses. To support the observations, the students were asked to fill in a questionnaire regarding their educational background and hobbies as well as their thoughts and opinions about basketry after the course. The material was analysed by means of content analysis, categorising the observations according to the main themes of skill learning, transfer of learning, and expertise. An extensive involvement in recreational crafts had a positive effect on learning basketry skills. The crafts enthusiasts who had experience and skills in several fields of handicrafts performed the best in all categories. The crafts enthusiasts with experience in a narrow field of crafts did not perform as well, with the exception of two young, highly educated participants. Out of the crafts novices, a few did well and exhibited a particular reflective ability and active learning. During the short course, those with previous experience in recreational crafts were no doubt aided by familiar practices, i.e. the context of crafts, resulting in a swift immersion in the work. The novices had a slower start, but the differences evened out towards the end. In conclusion, an extensive and in-depth experience in crafts is helpful in working with a new craft technique. On the other hand, adult students have accumulated a multitude of knowledge and skills over the course of their lives, which can be useful when facing new challenges, but such factors were difficult to visualise in the present study.

The purpose of this study was to examine the organization's history in Finland especially from the perspective of crafts. Period under review is on the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. I have called this organization as a craft activism. The purpose of this research was to illustrate the importance of the organization in crafts. In previous studies craft is not usually connected to activism. The purpose was to determine the identity of craft activists and the manifestations of what kind of activism was reflected. Furthermore, the study was to shed light on history of the Craft Museum of Finland of its early decades. The study is a historical study with view of craft science. History as a science is suitable to use in the context of craft science. Historical research is the interpretations of explanations for traces of human activity as well as issues and phenomena in the relations between weighting. Craft Science is also examining of the relationship with the human world, so the historical perspective to the selection is well suited to study of craft science. The material for the study is the protocols and the other archival sources from Craft Museum's and The Finnish society of Crafts and Design's collection. Study has also material from news papers. The study shows that the crafts have been a diverse operation as an integral part of the organization, which began to develop in the 1800s in Finland. The craft has had a significant role, particularly in those organizations where actors have been women. Especially women, craft has been a natural approach, which in the late 1800s also harnessed to the needs of the society. The Craft has established many organizations and it was an important strategy in many philanthropy associations. Craft activism associated with substantially the museum and exhibition activity and industrialization was the key factor in that activity. Industrialization demand marketing channels, through which the exhibitions were intended to answer. On the other hand, the exhibitions reflected the educational motives and through them sought to improve craft skills and cottage industry beside of factory industry. Craft is an integral part of historical research, as it has been important part of people's everyday life for centuries. Nevertheless, there are little historical studies which have done from the perspective of the craft. Usually craft occurs as a part of economy or politics. Also organization activities have not been studied lot of the perspective of craft. Craft science leaves the opportunity to expand on these points to historical studies.

The aim of this study was to analyze the flow experiences of craft and art professionals and how these experiences are linked to happiness. Flow experience was defined by the typical flow characteristics determined by Csikszentmihalyi. The flow experiences were analyzed through the various stages of the creative design and manufacturing processes. It was assumed that creative work offers diverse opportunities for the emergence of flow experiences. This study also examined the impact of the community and environment of Fiskars on the flow experiences. Ten craft and art professionals who work in Fiskars were interviewed for the study. The method of research was content analysis. The data associated with the main research question was analyzed with theoretical connections to flow theory. The analysis of the other research questions was conducted on the basis of the data. In practice, themes relevant to the study were derived from the data. The flow experiences of craft and art professionals occur on the design and manufacturing stages of the creative process. The difference between these was what created the flow experience: the challenging problem solution or the smooth routine. The flow experience in the creative process usually occurs when control is achieved. Concentration appeared to be the key feature of the flow experiences. The environment in Fiskars enabled the essential features of the flow experience, such as concentration. The association of creative people was seen as inspiring. Self-realization and the possibility of self-relevant work brought happiness to the lives of artisans and art professionals. Flow was attached to the broader happiness, as well as to moments of success. In terms of happiness the whole creative process was more crucial than a single flow experience. The strong intrinsic motivation led artisan and art professionals to implement personal ideas and thoughts in their work. The autonomy of the individual appears to be essential for achieving flow and happiness.

The aim of this study is to survey the meaning of craftmanship in goldsmith occupation. The image of craftmanship is built theoretically as well as researcher's own practical experience. The study describes a dialogue between self-employed goldsmith's everyday work and trade union's opinion. Suomen Kultaseppien Liitto (The Goldsmith Association of Finland) was chosen for the trade union, because it is the biggest, the oldest and the most influential on the occupational area. The research data are volumes 1995 - 1998 of occupational membership journal of Suomen Kultaseppien Liitto. The data analyzed with Adapted Content Analysis and Grounded Theory. The professional occupation of goldsmiths, the role of craftmanship and the future of the occupation are discussed. Additionally, the relationship between the Suomen Kultaseppien Liitto and occupational culture and profession of goldsmiths was studied. Craft and craftmanship is most often discussed in articles related to tradition and education. Craftmanship is understood very idealistically, with little meaning in practical life. St. Eligius and the skill and art of goldsmiths in St Petersburg are raised to symbols of craftmanship. The occupational image is broken and a clear conflict between education and occupation is visible. Education produces artist-craftsmen, while handicraft workers are required in industry, and retailers or specially trained store assistant in business. Computer-aided design and manufacture render handicraft workmanship unnecessary. In a pessimistic view, the future possibilities of the goldsmith occupational profession are dim, because the artist-craftsmen are bound to lose to fast-paced machines. On the other hand, people involved in goldsmith education see the future light, designer-goldsmiths developing the occupational to new dimensions. Suomen Kultaseppien Liitto represents goldsmiths in public. The union, however is governed by non-artisan goldsmiths. The union stresses business attitudes and entrepreneurship, and has succeeded in protecting the privileges of retailers and industry. Goldsmiths profession is seen in the research data as a combination of precious-metal industry, jewellery and watch stores, and a goldsmith shop is considered a specialized giftstore. The goldsmiths occupation is not a profession, and the Suomen Kultaseppien Liitto is not a trade union for artist and craftmen. Accordingly, part of the representative authority of the union could be transferred from the Association to Taidekäsityöläiset Taiko ry, a member of organization of Ornamo. Results of this study show the importance of defining the images of the goldsmith occupational profession and the trade union. The results could be applied to goldsmith education to examine what would be the optimal education and training for present employment opportunities. The important background theories has been the theories of Habermas and Lévi-Strauss.

The research assignment of this development research is to develop a handicraft-themed reminiscence box for older adults. It was ordered by Dagny Bäckström's foundation. Reminiscence box is a collection of triggers, e.g. objects, sounds and scents. It is used in reminiscence work, a method used in eldercare. Reminiscing helps to maintain personal identity, accept the past and gain a feeling of integrity. Handicraft is a fruitful topic for reminiscing, because it has been an essential part of everyday life for older adults. There is evidence that handicraft promotes well-being by supporting positive self-image and self-esteem and also encourages social interaction and helps to maintain social and family ties. Handicraft objects can remind of these positive things. These aspects form the theoretical background for this research. Developing included designing a manuscript for a reminiscence event, planning the range of triggers for the box and also collecting them. Plans were introduced to the foundation during the process and based on feedback some changes and refinement were made. The actual research material was a video recording of a real user situation, an hour long reminiscence event in an elder care home. Specific analysis covered episodes, in which both reminiscing happens and some triggers are used. Reminiscing lines of these chosen episodes were analyzed: what kind of memories were revealed and what was the trigger. The purpose of the video was also to find things that need improvements or further developing. There were many ways to reminisce handicraft. Common reminiscence is recognizing and naming the objects and their use. Personal experiences were revealed in making descriptions, heightened with movement. Also some memories of important and beloved people were revived. The triggers worked well in arousing memories, especially objects one can use or try. Reminiscence is best advanced by conversation and hearing other's memories, but also the instructor of event has influence on what kind of memories are told. Some changes were made based on video. Mostly the changes concerned about how the instructor can better support reminiscing. Asking right kind of questions is fairly important. The reminiscence event has to be organized so that everybody can equally speak and are listened and heard. It is also important to support older adults own agency in the event. This research adds knowledge of reminiscence work. This can be useful when designing new services. Concerning craft science, especially intriguing is the embodied nature of reminiscence, e.g. reminiscing with movement. This could be studied further and made use of more in the future.