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(2015)Due to savings the traditional services provided by the welfare state have been weakened. These savings have adversely affected particularly the disadvantaged people, and part of the risk of social exclusion has increased. The third sector or non-governmental organisations, in this study Icehearts, will work to prevent exclusion starting from the pre-school stage. The theoretical background in this study is constructed from the concepts of change in welfare state, non governmental organisations, inter professional collaboration and identity. Organisation's educator-coaches coach teams, with the principle that everybody can play. Educators work as part of the inter professional collaboration, which is in boys and their families' life. Educators work at boys' school; organise afternoon activities, exercises in chosen sport, they are part of the multi-professional network in formal discussions and meetings including social, psychiatric, outpatient clinic and student welfare. Educators' work-identity or inter professional collaboration has not been studied before, similar studies has been done among social- and care work professionals. This thesis has studied the work of educators and identity as part of a multi-professional network. How educator-coaches' work-identity is constructed in their talk. How the interprofessional collaboration is described in their talk. Educators work mainly in the school district, both physically and mentally. Interesting is how this context was brought up in educators' speech. The study material was collected by theme interviews in November 2014 by interviewing six Iceheart's educator-trainer. They had worked 4-14 years in the organisation. The data was analysed with qualitative content-analysis. Experiences of working as a member of the interprofessional group differed depending from the context. Typical for educators seemed to be their tendency to adapt and use the language other professionals use. The underlying factors behind professional identity were the personal characteristics, Icehearts as organisation and other educators' support, personal values and the desire to help. Agency as part of the professional identity emerged as an opportunity to work with their own personality and their own way. There are no detailed instructions or only one right way to work as an educator and this was seen as an opportunity. It would be interesting and meaningful to study the effect of the organisation and educators from state point of view, what is the organisation's role in preventing exclusion. The multi professional co-operation could be studied with a change laboratory method in order to improve collaboration to benefit boys and families in large.
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(2016)This research aimed to investigate how Arne Trageton's "writing to read" method was incorporated into the reading practices of preschool children and first graders. The research questions were: 1. What kind of actions and collaboration emerged when students used the Trageton method for their reading practice? 2. How did the collaboration between children emerge, and how did it support student work within the Trageton method? The new curriculum for pre-primary education and basic education emphasizes learning by doing, phenomena, play and technological teaching skills. In Finland, we have a long tradition of teaching children to read. The concept of reading is changing, however, and it demands new teaching methods. Many studies (e.g. Fallon & Khoo 2014; Hyun & Davis 2005; Kumpulainen 1996; Lim 2012; Maynard 2010, Yelland 2011) have proven that technological environments can offer a motivating learning setting and may increase collaboration and interaction between students. The video material for this study was filmed in a primary school in Espoo in Spring 2013.Six preschoolers and six first graders were working using Trageton method. They were inventing and writing words with a word-processing program. They worked in pairs. The video material was analyzed through a content analysis. The Trageton method resulted collaborative actions. When pairs discussed, for example, the names or sounds of letters, it helped to find those letters on the keyboard and create words together. Simultaneously, it revealed the children's knowledge about language to themselves and to the teacher. The emerged literacy did came out as students were discussing about writing. Teachers could thus assist students if it was discovered that their ability to hear the sounds of letters or create words differed from that of their partners. As a result, writing via this method led to immerse joy in learning and increased motivation. It can therefore be said that writing to read can be used as a part of a new curriculum. This method enables children to learn at their own level, helping them work together and use technology by their own basis. There were also some weaknesses in the method. The most significant were the lack of spelling in general and the fact that the students weren't so enthusiastic on checking up the spelling independently afterwards.
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(2022)The research task of this master's thesis is to describe shared expertise in a distributed team during the corona pandemic. The thesis is based on the theory of distributed work. It is examined from the perspective of shared expertise, taking into account the impact of the corona pandemic on the work of experts. The research questions of the thesis are 1) how has the corona pandemic affected experts' experiences of working in a distributed team and 2) which factors support shared expertise in a distributed team? The thesis focuses on experts' experiences of the phenomenon. The material for the thesis was collected through semi-structured thematic interviews of six experts. The interviewees worked in the HR team of a large corporation, which has operated distributed work before the corona pandemic. The analysis of the data was carried out using a theory-driven content analysis. The results of the study showed that the corona pandemic has affected the work of an already distributed team. The work became even more distributed and this seemed to increase the efficiency of work, task-orientedness and independence. In distributed work, the versatile use of communication technology supports team cooperation and reduces experiences of the challenges brought by physical distance. Shared roles and the competence based on them, as well as jointly shared operating methods and communication practices, increased interaction and cooperation in a distributed team and promoted shared expertise. However, in a distributed team, spontaneous ideation and sharing tacit knowledge was perceived as challenging, so sufficient time must be arranged for this. Good team spirit and trust also emerged as important factors for the success of the work.
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(2017)The theoretical context of this qualitative study are the leadership in early childhood education and the organizational change. The leadership and the change of leadership are studied generally and then the distributed leadership and the distributed organization are studied specifically. This study examines how teachers and leaders view the distributed leadership and what kind of skills the leaders and the workers need in the organization of distributed leadership and how they view the organizational change. This is qualitative phenomenology research. The material of the study was collected at half structured interviews which were taken part in six teachers and two leaders from the city of Hamina during November and December 2017. The interviews were recorded and transcribed for analysis. The analysis was done with the methods of content analysis. This study shows that the leadership in early childhood education is in change and the leadership meets new challenges. Distributed leadership challenges both the leaders and the workers. The results of the study show that the interviewed teachers and leaders see distributed leadership as teamwork and interactional work custom. The distributed leadership was difficult to execute, because teachers worked as leaders without the status of the leader. The interviewed viewed that the difficulties of distributed organization are indefinite structures and work tasks of leadership and too large entireties of leadership. The interviewed viewed that the organizational change was unsuccessful. The interviewed teachers and the leader felt that they didn't have an opportunity to influence the change and the given reasons for doing the organizational change were incoherent and the results of the change were not estimated. They would like to increase the number of leaders and clear the determinations of work roles and responsibilities. This study suggests that the city of Hamina should increase the competence of the leaders and the personnel. In practice distributed leadership means investing the knowhow of leadership and working community skills. The human resource management and the motivating of the personnel are the main challenges in the future. Qualitative early childhood education is possible only with the motivated workers.
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(2018)In recent years, leadership in early childhood education (ECE) has been studied especially from the perspective of pedagogical leadership. More and more, however, it is seen that pedagogical leadership should be shared in order to attain the goals of early education. The goal of early childhood education is to ensure the child's overall growth and well-being. The purpose of this study is to find out the possible connection between distributed leadership and child well-being in ECE environment. There are no earlier studies of the effectiveness of distributed leadership in day care center. Studies in the school context, however, show that distributed leadership has an impact on both school achievement and employee motivation. The study was a quantitative one, because there was statistical orientation project material available. The material was collected in the spring 2015 in 13 municipalities in southern Finland with child observation (N = 2 838) and with questionnaires to ECE staff and the directors of the day care centers (N = 150). The material of the study was analyzed by calculating correlations between summed variable of distributed leadership and child observations, child and learning environment estimates, which were made by the ECE staff and leadership estimates, which were made by the directors in day care centers. The analysis was made by the SPSS program. According to the study, distributed leadership was linked to the child well-being in ECE context in different ways and levels. Well-being was emerged as a quality of physical and social learning environment. In addition, the peer relationships of children worked out and their positive feelings were emphasized. The children also participated in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the activities. On the other hand, the interaction between the staff and the children was less pronounced if leadership was shared in the day care center. Pedagogical thinking and positive feelings about work were emphasized in staff´s and director´s responses. Thus, it can be concluded that leadership is meaningful both child and staff well-being in ECE context.
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(2022)Goal. The aim of this thesis is to study multilingualism and the role of linguistic diversity in teaching in a Finnish-Swedish school context. Previous research has emphasized that multilingualism should be considered as the normal starting point in teaching and seen as a resource. In order to achieve the purpose of the thesis, I have formulated the following research questions. What influences classroom teachers' perception of multilingualism in school? What is the perception of multilingualism as part of teaching by teachers? Methods. The thesis used a qualitative research method with a phenomenographic approach. As a material collection method, semi-structured interviews were used. Five class teachers from three different Swedish-language schools, in two different medium-sized municipalities in southern Finland, participated in the research. During the interviews, the informants worked with grades one to two and five to six. The material was analyzed using qualitative analysis. With the help of the qualitative analysis, the class teachers' voice was highlighted on how multilingualism is perceived in today's school and as part of the teaching. Results and conclusions. The teachers who participated in the thesis perceived multilingualism in school, as something that is influenced by society and the operating culture. Multilingualism was perceived as a positive resource, which increases openness between different actors in the school, and which increases tolerance for differences and diversity. That multilingualism was perceived as a positive resource reduced prejudice in school. Multilingualism as part of teaching was perceived to be related to teacher identity, learning and language awareness. The teachers described that multilingualism can be a source of knowledge and function as a support for learning. The results showed that it is important to support students' multilingual background in order to strengthen students' self-esteem and cultural identity. The teachers' language awareness was described as a relevant factor, which influenced how multilingualism is perceived in connection with teaching. This shows a broad phenomenon that needs to be examined and made more aware of in the future.
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(2016)The aim of this study was to bring forth the recollections involving the family tradition, the sewing circle. The study discusses the recollections with the help of a handmade memory box, which opens the significance of the sewing circle to the informants. The most essential are the recollections of the informants and the meaning as well as the emotional joint. These will be analysed as unique and interpreted based on the individual perspective. The study is a qualitative case study, which interprets the recollections empirically with the help of video recorded material as well as observation during the memory evening. The memory boxes function as a visual aid that brings forth the information, knowledge and memories to the younger generation, who participated as listeners during the memory evening. The inquiry sets as goal to bring forth the meaning of the recollections concerning the family sewing circle. The experience of the younger generation is clarified through a theme interview. The active members collect the memory box and present it at the memory evening. The event is recorded, analysed and divided into themes. The younger generation will be interviewed after the memory evening and they get to express their thoughts that has risen during the evening. The results show that the recollections are diverse and include warm thoughts towards the tradition itself as well as towards already deceased members. The sewing circle means togetherness with the family and the community offers handcraft and inspiration as well as joy and gratitude towards the tradition. The tradition has a meaning, both physically and mentally – the value of togetherness is significant.
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(2021)Purpose. There has been a rapid technological development in our society. New inventions have made many jobs easier, but in return there is a demand for educated personnel. This in turn puts higher demands on peoples literacy. In the Pisa surveys the Finnish pupils have shown a high level of reading literacy, but unfortunately the trend has been negative and the number of pupils with low levels of literacy have increased. This development can be observed especially among boys. In Pisa 2018 20% of the boys were weak readers with a literacy not sufficient for further studies. The same survey found a decline in attitudes towards reading and 63% of the boys replied that they read only if they have to. The goal of this thesis is to investigate if the same patterns can be found among pupils in a primary school. The study examines how often the pupils read for enjoyment on their spare time and what motivates their reading behaviour. Furthermore, the study will examine whether there are differences between boys and girls or between pupils at different grades. Methods. The study was conducted in the autumn of 2020 in a Finnish primary school. The data was collected with a survey. The pupils took part in the study during schooltime. The sample consisted of all the pupils from grades 3 to 6 in the investigated school (N=236). The study received 157 responses of which 156 were accepted and analysed. The material was analysed with the statistical program SPSS. Results and conclusions. The results of the study showed big differences in pupils reading behaviour already in the primary school. 79% of the pupils read regularly on their spare time, but 21% read more sporadically or not at all. The result also showed that the girls read more often on their spear time than the boys do. The pupils showed a strong self-efficacy and a positive attitude toward reading There was a tendency for a decline in intrinsic motivation and attitude among older pupils. In this study the reading behaviour could be explained by gender, intrinsic motivation, attitude, and the perception that you read only if you have to.
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(2015)The tasks of this research are to identify different types of loneliness among academic students, clarify what kind of meaning loneliness is given in the students life and what kind of interpretation repertoires the student is using when talking about loneliness. In the study was identified social loneliness, emotional loneliness, fenomenological loneliness, normative loneliness, existential loneliness and physical loneliness. Typestories were constructed on the basis of Gergen and Gergens (1988) categorization of development of the plot of the story in regressive, progressive and stable plots. Students used following interpretation repertoires talk about fighting, talk about being a looser, talk about isolating herself and talk about being separated. The data consists of online discussions of loneliness on Nyytis website. Recommended measures are to improve affinity/fellowship among students and to develop activity which could prevent loneliness
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(2022)All schools in Finland are required by law to ensure equality of treatment on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and other individual characteristics. Previous studies have shown that young people who do not conform to heteronormative expectations are more likely to have mental health problems compared to their peers and are more likely to feel that school is an unsafe environment. Teachers, for their part, often feel that they do not have enough knowledge about how different sexualities and gender identities should be taken into account in their practical dealings with students. Previous studies have primarily focused on the school experiences of teenagers and young adults rather than on the experiences of younger students. The purpose of this study is to examine the views of seventh-grade students regarding the sex education they have received from first grade onwards, and how teachers accommodate gender diversity in their teaching. The study was based on semi-structured interviews with four native Swedish-speaking seventh-grade students from southern Finland. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. The results showed that all the students who participated in the study felt that sexuality and gender identity were not properly discussed in grades 1 through 6. By contrast, they felt that the information they were given about puberty and reproduction in grades 5 through 6 was sufficient. The analysis also suggests that although the students felt that some of the teachers were clearly concerned with advancing gender equality, the atmosphere in the school in general was still quite heteronormative. All the students who participated in the study felt that more sex education was needed, and that there should be greater discussion of gender diversity, preferably even before fifth grade. In their view, this would help foster a more respectful and inclusive atmosphere at school. In future studies, it would be of interest to find out more about what kind of support teachers would benefit from to develop sex education, and what would help them to accommondate gender diversity in their teaching.
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(2021)Tiivistelmä - Referat – Abstract This Master's Thesis originated with an assignment from LUMA2020-program to create mathematics materials to primary education. Previous studies have shown interest to be a major factor in learning mathematics. Therefore, the goal of the material is to be interesting. This thesis leaned on the model by Aunio and Räsäsen (2016) about the development of mathematic skills in children under the age of 8, so that the material could be developed to fit the zone of proximal development. This thesis examines the factors that influence interest in mathematics material. The goal of the thesis is to create interesting mathematical materials for children in primary education. This Master's thesis has been implemented as a design research. Empirical problem analysis has collected data on the aspirations of mathematics materials from teachers and educators who participated in the LUMA2020 program in primary education. The poll was sent to 126 people in total. Based on the responses to this survey (total of 18) and previous research, I created the first design solution. This design solution was assessed as a case study by interviewing the five people who tried the material. Based on the results of the interviews, I created another design solution. According to this master's thesis, meaningful and interesting mathematics material aimed at children in primary education is of the right level and it makes it possible to stream pupils. Functionality and an interesting story that makes actions logical increases interest towards the material. Good and clear instructions for children and adults affect positively to commitment and interest towards the material.
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(2018)Aims. The aim of this research was to explore and examine food choices and thoughts about meat of those on plant-based diet. The objective of the research was to explore why meat eating was reduced and what kind of meat eating those on plant-based diet were engaged in. Additionally, the aim was to begin to understand what types of challenges and aids were encountered and used in reducing meat consumption. This is a topical issue since changes have to happen in food consumption. The theoretical frameworks in this research were based on theories of food choice, different aspects of vegetarianism and meat eating as well as attitudes regarding meat eating as revealed by different consumer research. Methods. This was a qualitative research. The research consisted of seven participants all whom followed a plant-based diet that meat was still part of. The participants were between the ages 28 and 53. The data was analysed using the methods of content analysis supported by thematic analysis. Results and Conclusions. The move to the plant-based diet was made encouraged by some external factors. Although one might have thought about changing to a new diet, the final step was taken aided by a practical issue. Some meat products were removed from the diet although meat was still regularly consumed. Meat eating was often associated with special occasions, such as, parties, social visits or work place eating. Refusals to eat meat were not strict but meat was eaten, and often with a good conscious, when it was one’s personal preference or when the situation so warranted. Flavour as well as habit were the most common reasons to eat meat. Vegetarian dishes could be seen as unfamiliar, and this was seen as a challenge in the everyday life. Also the availability of ingredients and spices was seen as a problem. However, the change was promoted by the easy replacement of meat with vegetable protein products, and by the wide variety of available vegetables and so called meat substitutes at supermarkets. Information was also easily available both on the internet, magazines and cookery books. The support of others was also vital in the succesful following of a plant-based diet. Hence the support and education for plant-based diet could be started in basic education where school meals and home economics classes could act as catalysts for more positive and natural approach to vegetable based eating.
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(2002)The aim of this study was to investigate the connection between teachers' burn-out and professional development. In addition, the study aimed at clarifying teachers' conceptions of the significance of in-service training on work-related well-being. The theoretical starting points of the study were based on a model of burn-out (Kalimo & Toppinen1997) and a model of teachers' professional development (Niemi 1989). Present study can be seen as an independent follow-up study for a working ability project called "Uudistumisen eväät" that was followed through in Kuopio. The study was carried out in two phases. First, the connection between teachers' burn-out and professional development was charted with the help of a quantitative survey study. 131 teachers participated in the survey. Some of them were from schools that participated in the working ability project and the remainder were from other schools in Kuopio. The questionnaire consisted of self-constructed instruments of burn-out and professional development. According to the results, burn-out and professional development were strongly correlated with each other. Burn-out was summed up in three factors: emotional exhaustion, feelings of depersonalization and low feelings of personal accomplishment. Professional development was summed up in four factors: personality and pedagogical skills, learning-orientation, social skills and confronting change. Personality and pedagogical skills and skills of confronting change were correlated strongest with burn-out and its symptoms. A teacher, who has not found his/her own personal way of acting as a teacher and who considers change as something negative, is more likely to become exhausted than a teacher, who has developed his/her own pedagogical identity and who regards change more positively. In the second phase of this study, teachers' conceptions of the significance of in-service training on well-being was investigated with the help of group interviews (n=12). According to the results, the importance of in-service training was significant on the well-being of teachers. It appeared that in-service training promotes well-being by providing teachers with motivation, professional development and the possibility of taking a break from teaching and cooperating with other teachers. It has to be based on teachers' own needs. It has to be offered to teachers frequently and early enough. If teachers are already exhausted, they will neither have enough resources to participate in training, nor will they have the strength to make good use of it in practice. Both professional development and well-being are becoming more and more essential now that society is changing rapidly and the demands set on teachers are growing. Professional development can promote well-being, but are teachers too exhausted to develop themselves? Professional development demands resources and teachers may regard it as a threat and an additional strain. When the demands are so high that teachers cannot cope with them, they are likely to suffer stress and see reduction of commitment to their work and its development as a means to survive. If teachers stop caring about their work and their own development, how can we expect them to promote pupils' learning and development? It should be considered in the planning and implementation of in-service training and in arranging teachers' working conditions, that teachers have enough time and resources to develop themselves.
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(2016)The aim of this study is to find out through a case study what role football plays in the lives and acculturation processes of immigrant youth in Helsinki. The second aim is to investigate what factors influence the most to the youth's starting point of football and its' continuity. The concepts of acculturation and integration I will observe mainly based on the previous acculturation theories. I will study the influence of football as a tool into the acculturation processes through earlier studies about sport clubs and sports. Based on my own experience and bachelor thesis, my hypothesis is that football can help immigrant youth to acculturate into the new homeland due to football's transcultural and translinguistic nature. In my case study I interviewed two pair of immigrant brothers who play football. I knew both brothers before the study. I collected the data using focused interviews. I analysed the data using content analysis and actant analysis that is one form of narrative analysis. According to the results of my study, football clearly helped the brothers in their acculturation processes into Finland and Helsinki. The most football helped them to expand their social networks that helped them to get to know Finnish families and customs. They did not learn Finnish much through football, which was surprising and differed from the earlier studies. They learnt Finnish better with friends and in school. Success in football helped to improve their feeling of competence and self-esteem, especially according to the older pair of brothers. The younger pair of brothers felt extra pressure and stress to do well in football, because they were worried about their mom wasting her money into their hobby. The factors that influenced the most to the starting point and continuity of football were the economic and mental support of the family, the coach's and the team's support and flexibility for the immigrant family in the monthly costs, experienced success, and the approval of the team mates. The positive effects of football on acculturation cannot be taken for granted or automatically considered to be accomplished. It needs successful events and positive encounters. After bad experiences on and off the field, football might also create extra stress and pressure to the youth that might slow down and compromise the whole acculturation process.
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(2020)Expanded expertise research is more considerate of the perspective of community and is more interactional. Work has changed on a societal scale and Finnish football coaching culture has changed, for example athletecentered coaching is more emphasized. The purpose of this study is to research, understand and delineate, the interviewed football coaching experts’ thoughts and understanding regarding 1. the expertise of a football coach and coaching in general, 2. the change in Finnish football coaching work and the required competence and 3. the development of a coach’s expertise. This qualitative study was conducted based on data of seven interviews. At the time of the interviews the participants of the study had coached between five to thirty-one years and were currently employed by some Finnish football club or organization in the footballing world. The first research question about the expertise of a football coach and coaching in general was analyzed by theory directional content analysis. The second research question about the change in Finnish football coaching work and the required competence and the third research question about the development of a coach’s expertise were inductively analyzed by databased content analysis. The football coaches’ expertise and coaching expertise were understood as both individual and distributed expertise. Individual expertise consists of different competencies and it depends on operational environment. The quantity of experience did not solely define expertise. The aim of the expertise development could be also the specializing in some field of football coaching or in a specific age group. Distributed expertise consisted of perceptions about the competence and skills of coaching teams and coaches and it partly included by using technology. The work of the football coaches and the required competence had changed in many different areas, according to the interviewees. Among those areas were pedagogic skills, information evaluation and management, technology and planning skills, leadership of the coaching team and knowing oneself. The range of different coaching methods and styles has brought both challenges and opportunities. Expertise is developed in many ways, but continuing learning, coaches’ self-guidance and interactional ways of learning were highlighted in every interview.
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(2021)Objectives. In sports, there is a pressure for change in coaches behaviour and coaching styles. The discussion regarding the methods and procedures used in coaching is active. From a coaching philosophical perspective, coach orientation has changed to player orientation. Teaching methods used in coaching should be updated to reflect modern learning concepts in which the player has the role of an active agent. In conclusion, the need to develop the skills of coaches has increased. In addition to mastering coaching styles, the coach is required to have the ability to utilize social and emotional skills. This study examines and analyzes how football coaches utilize and use social and emotional skills as well as teaching styles. In addition, connections between socialemotional skills and teaching styles are sought. Methods. The approach of this study was qualitative. The material was collected through individual interviews. There were total of six interviews (n = 6). The coaches interviewed had extensive and long coaching experience. The analysis of material was done as a theory-based content analysis, because the aim was to look at the material from the perspective of theory. Results and conclusions. Based on this research, the notion that coaching is moving towards a teaching style in which the player´s role as a active learner and a builder of knowledge is taken into account was confirmed. It can be concluded from the material that coaches use a autonomy supportive teaching style to take into account the needs of the players. However, coaches feel that there are situations where it is justified to use controlling teaching style instead of autonomyt supportive style. The best approach can be therefore considered to be a combination of an autonomy supportive and controlling style. Based on this research, coaches utilize social and emotional skills in a variety of coaching work. It can be concluded from the material that coaches value social and emotional skills and perceive them as a significant aspect of coaching. Based on the material, coaches place particular emphasis on those areas of social and emotional skills that are related to working with others. From this it can be concluded that in the future more attention should be paid to the development of coache´s self-awareness and self-management.
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(2022)The range of tasks in shoe repair is wide and there is little researched or published information on the subject. The purpose of the study is to respond to the lack of teaching and training material for occupational safety by identifying the risks associated with work tasks and phases according to the experience of the shoe repairers. The study also takes into account the machinery and functions related to the machinery used for work tasks and phases. In addition, the aim of the research is to identify the factors present at a shoe repairers’s work from the perspective of the safe execution of the work. Based on the research results, the sections that should be researched and addressed in the implementation of the teaching and training material to be compiled in the future will be identified. The study was conducted as a quantitative questionnaire survey in the spring of 2022. A web-based questionnaire was developed for the study and distributed to shoe repairers with the assistance of collaborators. A total of 47 respondents participated in the survey, most of whom had long work experience in the field. The research results were processed by quantitative methods using statistical analysis methods. The results of the study show that the shoe repairers didn`t experience more than moderate risks associated with work tasks and phases. The research results highlighted the risks of operations related to the machinery and machine-related functions. Based on the results, distinct work phases and machines or machine-related functions required for implementation were identified, which should be taken into account when developing material suitable for training. In addition, teaching and training materials should draw particular attention to the maintenance and operation of working equipment and machinery.
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(2016)The aim of the study was to illustrate the phenomenon of diversity in education through the language in discourses. The research question was How are worldviews constructed in the national core curricula of Finland and Sweden? My interest for the comparison of discourses in these countries arose from the differences in how RE is arranged practically. The theoretical setting was grounded in poststructural and postcolonial perspectives. I particularly looked at hierarchies and speech through the concepts of discourse and otherness. The data consisted of chosen parts from the latest versions of national core curricula in Finland (2014) and Sweden (2011). With Fairclough's critical discourse analysis as a base, I examined what kind of discourses worldviews were constructed through, with the help of the thematised categories pupil, worldview and society. The study also contained a comparative perspective where I compared orders of discourses in Finland and Sweden. In the curriculum worldviews were constructed through several discourses. In Finland the order of discourse comprised a benevolent discourse, a discourse constructing hierarchies between worldviews, discourse of the presence of worldviews, a discourse of the normative voice and the discourse of one's own worldview. In Sweden the worldviews were constructed through the discourse of mankind, the equality of worldviews, a discourse of the values of the social democratic welfare state as a foundation, the dominance of Christianity and the discourses that emphasise potentials and disagreements. The discourses of equality and hierarchies were discourses that the Finnish and Swedish curricula had in common. The distinction between the countries showed in the way worldviews were constructed considering the individual's (or pupil's) perspective. The Swedish curriculum was based in a distanced discourse of mankind, whilst the Finnish perspective, in addition to the informative aspects, also emphasised the individual existential part of worldviews. Sensitivity towards a plurality of worldviews will be needed in the future. It is therefore essential to discuss different viewpoints to RE, and if, in addition to information about different worldviews, the subject also should emphasize the development of student's own worldview.
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(2022)The purpose of this thesis is to examine how the concepts equality, gender equality and diversity are discussed in equality plans within university education in Finland. My research questions follow the purpose; what kind of discourses, regarding the three concepts, are found in the documents. My research is based on critical theory and critical discourse analysis. Previous research shows that legislation often plays a central role in equality plans. Research also shows that the concepts might sometimes be used for marketing purposes by organisations and institutions. Using Fairclough's (1992) critical discourse analysis, I analysed four Finnish universities' equality plans in Swedish. The research was a case study, and the sample was based on that the plans must be available in Swedish. The plans were reviewed as a whole, and in total they consisted of 96 pages. The equality plans were publicly published on the websites of the universities during 2018 – 2021. I focused on how the analysed concepts took shape in larger contexts within the documents. With the help of various linguistic analysing tools, I read through the plans several times, took notes, and highlighted relevant sections in the documents. Finally, I categorized the highlighted sections. The legislative discourse in the equality plans was evident. However, an interpretive discourse and signs of market discourse also appeared in the documents. The results showed that equality, gender equality and diversity were viewed as overarching goals for the universities. Gender differences were emphasized within specific problem areas, while equal treatment was used when discussing the organisation as a whole. In terms of diversity, internationalization was often pronounced. Discourses regarding Othering were also found in the documents. As a conclusion, it can be stated that the universities comply to equality and gender equality values that are based on equal treatment and equal opportunity. However, they simultaneously compete on a competitive market which lead to contradictions in the way they expressed themselves. Since the language in the equality plans reflects the universities’ values and operations, it is important that the wording is consistent and comprehensible, not only for the sake of the reader but mainly for the organization to have a distinct and clear vision of what it is pursuing.
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(2020)The aim of this thesis is to describe, analyze and interpret the meanings that the administrative representatives of the City of Jämsä Education and Culture Department give to the Music Institute as part of the Education and Cultural Services. The study is a qualitative case study and the data is analyzed according to phenomenographic analysis. The research is motivated not only by the researcher's personal interests in music and musical hobbies, but also by the interest in decision-making and its preparation. The research questions are based on the history of the national music school system and the local music institute, research on folk and music school and their social significance, research on Finnish leisure music hobbies, documents and regulations governing the activities of the city and the Music School, their organization and strategy. Three administrative representatives of the Education and Cultural Services in the City of Jämsä were interviewed for the study. The theme interviews were recorded and transcribed. The analysis of the material proceeded according to the phenomenographic analysis. The results of the study show that the Music School has also cultural, service and collaborative responsibilities in addition to its educational duties. The music school’s strengths include competent, long-term and motivated staff, content and collaboration. Weaknesses are related to financial aspects. The life-cycle perspective of the Quality-of-life Services is comprehensively realized in the Music School. According to representatives of the educational administration, the Music School is an actor to prevent inequality and exclusion, although fees and entrance examinations limit the opportunities for participation. From a communal point of view, the Music School creates a community in itself and it has many successful partners. Related to health improving aspect, the Music School first and foremost improves mental health. According to the interviewees, the Music School strengthens both local music culture and cultural activities. Through its activities, the Music School has been a part of the nationwide history of music schools, for example, by training experts in important musical positions. There have been structural, operational, economic, political and cultural changes in the administration and services of the City of Jämsä. In particular, the Music School supports the fields of well-being and vitality of the “Jämsä 2025” strategy. Economic, cultural and operational challenges are mentioned for the future.
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