Browsing by master's degree program "Master´s Programme in Education"

The purpose of this study was to analyze and interpret primary school teachers' perceptions of job satisfaction. The aim was also to illuminate how job satisfaction appears in daily life for teachers and how important primary school teachers believe satisfaction with their work is. Job satisfaction is the most studied variable in organizations and job satisfaction usually refers to an individual’s general perception about their job. Problems have, however, accured in studies about job satisfaction since there is no general definition of it that everyone agrees on. Now job satisfaction is current in Finland since there was a teacher strike in 2022 and since studies have shown that many teachers in Finland are thinking about career turnover. Accordingly, I saw it as necessary to find out the perceptions that primary school teachers have of job satisfaction as a concept, its relevance in the workplace and what being satisfied with their job means to them. My study was a qualitative one with a phenomenographic approach. In phenomenography the focus lays on people’s perceptions of a concept and variances between the perceptions is an outset. Research data was collected through semi structured thematic interviews of primary school teachers who in fall 2022 worked in swedish-speaking schools in Finland (N=9). The interviews were transcribed. I analyzed my data through a phenomenographic analyzing model. The results showed that primary school teachers have varying perceptions of job satisfaction even though all teachers saw it as some sort of an attitude towards one’s job. Teachers connected the word to a.i.a. being satisfied, being content, sense a meaning, thriving or succeeding with/at one’s job. Job satisfaction was perceived appearing in many different ways at the workplace, a.i.a. in surveys, conversations with the supervisor, thoughts on colleagues, teaching, other job assignments and in private life. The teachers perceived that job satisfaction is a very important concept that should saturate all things at one’s work. Being satisfied with one’s job overall was considered to help you get through everyday life, manage your job and to simply be well.

All people who are involved in teaching or tutoring of some sort need to update their competences every now and then. This also applies to teachers. According to a report conducted by Gun Oker-Blom, Swedish- speaking teachers participate to a lower degree in in-service training than Finnish-speaking teachers. In international comparisons, Finnish teachers’ participation in in-service training is lower compared to other countries. Finnish teachers also report that they are less satisfied with the in-service training they participate in than teachers in other countries. Research has also shown that teachers feel that the in-service training offered does not meet the needs of the teachers and that the in-service training does not contribute to their professional development. The aim of this study is to examine Swedish-speaking teachers experiences of in-service training. The goal for this study was therefor to describe teachers’ participation in in-service training by answering three research questions. The study used qualitative methods. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with seven teachers. The teachers had worked between three and thirty years and they were all qualified teachers. The teachers worked in grades 1-6. To analyze the transcribed interviews, inductive content analysis was used. The results of the study showed that teachers viewed participation in in-service training as a way to develop as a teacher. Personal interest to learn new things and peer support were weighing factors for teachers to participate in in-service training. The teachers felt that participation in in-service and developing their skills is something that is a part of their job. When it came to the school leader’s role in teachers’ participation in in-service training, the teachers believed that it should be the principal’s job to encourage teachers to participate in training. Teachers also believed that the principal should have a clear picture of which kind of training individual teachers need but also what kind of in-service training the school needs as a whole

This qualitative study examined professional agency during teacher studies in the context of part time special education. The study aims to answer following questions: How does professional agency occur in the context of practical training in teacher studies? What kind of dimensions does professional agency consist of and how do these dimensions relate to each other? Agency can broadly be described as an ability to act intentionally defined by autonomy, will, freedom and choice. Professional agency occurs when professional subjects make choices, use their possibilities to influence and take a stand in ways that effect their work and professional identities. Professional agency is implemented purposefully, and it is defined by dynamic factors of the workplace. Professional agency does not occur merely as accommodation to external demands but also as realistic and critical understanding of personal boundaries and acting in accordance with them. Professional agency has been suggested as a tool for teachers to face educational reforms as it has been seen to enable cultivation of new work forms. Previous research claims that teachers’ agency should be defined in more detail. Teacher training and first years at work are significant phases in cultivating professional agency, yet research in this context is narrow. In addition, Finnish studies regarding part time special education are few. Research material consisted of 13 reports written by teacher students. Reports were produced as a part of the compulsory practical training in the pedagogical studies of special education teacher training between spring 2020 – fall 2021. The study was conducted using qualitative theory driven content analysis. In the context of special education practical training professional agency manifested in four dimensions that were agency in the workplace framework, agency in the immediate social community, agency as identity work and agency as emotional work. Furthermore, professional agency occurred in two levels, community level and individual level, within which agency has divergent goals. At the community level professional agency appeared to aim for a functional work community and pupils’ learning. At the individual level it appeared to aim for teacher students’ professional development and personal wellbeing. Results suggest that interaction in the immediate social community and emotional factors are central to the enactment of professional agency. Results are in accordance with previous studies that claim professional agency to manifest in the framework of dynamic factors at both community level and individual level. The results of this study suggest that more research on the relation between community and individual level as well as on the importance of immediate social community and emotional factors are needed.

Aims. The goal of my thesis is to find out how teachers teaching in vocational education and training (VET) understand inclusion in their own practices and how, according to their under- standing, inclusion is realized in different learning environments. For a long time, efforts have been made to introduce the principle of inclusivity into the education system, which is used to try to dismantle the paradigm of special education. However, inclusion is most often studied in the context of basic education, and the discussion about inclusion in the context of VET is not as lively. However, the same international and national obligations also apply to VET, so research would be equally needed in this context as well. Methods. The research data is part of the Governance for Inclusive Vocational Excellence (GIVE) project. The target group of this partial study consisted of 13 teachers from VET, whose thematic interviews formed the data. The themes of the interviews included the definition of inclusion, its appearance in practices and as an object of evaluation, as well as in documents and strategies. The data was analysed using phenomenography and abductive analysis. Results and Conclusions. Teachers understood inclusion through the ideals presented in official documents and through the implementation of laws and degree structures. However, many inclusive practices were found in the teachers' descriptions, especially through the preparation of personal competence development plan (PCDP) and the provision of support. For the most part, the teachers did not know how to verbalize these practices as part of inclusion. This could possibly be because there is not enough discussion about inclusion in VET, or that inclusion is spoken of under some other name, such as personalisation, participation, accessibility or support and guidance. The teachers hoped for a joint time to develop and unify various inclusive practices in both educational institutions and workplaces in order to create a common operating culture and develop inclusive structures. This is also strongly related to the development of the teachers' own competence, for which more support and sharing of competence was hoped for, as well as a stronger link to practical work.

Faculty: Educational Sciences Degree programme: Master’s Programme in Education Study track: Special Education Author: Sirpa Juusola Title: Study skills at a university of applied sciences Level: Master’s thesis Month and year: April 2023 Number of pages: 80 + 13 Keywords: study skills, study ability, need for support, learning difficulty Supervisor or supervisors: Lotta Uusitalo, Henri Pesonen Where deposited: Abstract: Objectives. This thesis had three main objectives: to find out how students at South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences evaluate their own study skills in different areas, to compare study skills between different groups and to get information about students' wishes regarding the development of study skills. The study ability model developed by the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) and the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health was used as the theoretical basis in the thesis. Methods. The research material was collected with a Webropol survey aimed at students in Oc-tober 2022. 758 students responded to the survey. The survey was compiled using existing in-struments for measuring study skills. The questionnaire consisted of seven background infor-mation questions and ten sections which included statements that were answered using a five-point Likert scale. An open question was used to gather information about the students' wishes related to support needed for developing study skills. The collected data was mainly quantita-tive, and it was analysed using the SPSS program. Results and conclusions. Of the ten sections measuring study skills, Study Orientation and Motivation received the highest rating, and the lowest rating was in the section Reading. There were statistically significant differences between the groups divided according to the back-ground variables. For example, the average scores of those with a higher education back-ground were higher in many sections compared to those coming from upper secondary level education. Also, the students being over 30 years old, had higher average scores compared to younger ones. There were no statistically significant differences between the fields of study. According to the survey, 26.4% of the respondents had learning difficulties. Almost 30% of the respondents hoped to receive support for developing study skills, such as support for devel-oping learning methods and techniques, scheduling, and basic reading and writing skills. Also, more personal guidance was hoped for. The results of the research can be used in the devel-opment of guidance services at South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences as well as in the planning and organization of various activities that support students’ study skills.

This master’s thesis explores vocational education students’ experiences of immersive virtual learning environment. The thesis focuses on experiences of learning vocational skills in an immersive virtual learning environment that is designed for the field of profession. The research method of this study was qualitive. Research data was collected by observing the students whilst studying and in semi-structured interview. The observation was to support the interview data. The participants were five vocational students who have been using im-mersive virtual environment as one of the study environment during their vocational studies. Data analysis was done by using content analysis. According the results the students do experience that immersive virtual learning environment supports the development of their vocational skills as a part of students’ individual learning path. Some students experience that immersive virtual learning environment supports their vocational skills transfer to working life and some students experiences that immersive virtual learning environment supports mainly theoretical studies. Students experienced also various challenges, both technical challenges and challenges to use the virtual environment.

The purpose of this research was to figure out how COVID-19 has affected food purchases, making everyday meals, and using restaurant services amongst families with kids. The theoretical framework consists of execution of everyday dining and planning, formation of food choices and food shopping and also importance of eating out. According to previous studies, everyday dining is usually quite a busy and it demands quick solutions. Eating with family in peace is more common at weekends than on weekdays and planning has been shown as important factor in everyday life. In addition, the theoretical framework deals with eating out and the importance of school or work catering to Finnish food culture. Although COVID-19 is quite new as a research topic, theory of this research consists also of some of the most important effects of the Corona pandemic, for example from the perspective of consumption. The need for this research is the topicality and importance of this topic. The research questions were: What kind of effects the Corona pandemic and its limitations have had on eating in everyday life? What kind of effects the Corona pandemic and its limitations have had on food purchasing on everyday life? What kind of effects the Corona pandemic and its limitations have had on the usage of restaurant services? This study was carried out with qualitative research and the data was collected using a thematic and stimulus interview. The respondents were mainly found from a Facebook group, that is targeted for families living in the center of Helsinki. The interviews were carried out using Zoom and there were five mothers and one father in the study. The research data was first transcribed and then analyzed with thematizing and content analysis. According to results of this research, there was need for making everyday life easier during the Corona pandemic. Food planning has increased, as well as food preparation and its demands. There were also new methods for buying food and motives for usage of restaurant services. Increased planning and cooking were experienced as burdensome. To make everyday life easier, families typically used semi-processed food products and food delivery services, especially at the beginning of the pandemic. Motives for eating out were different than before COVID-19, because eating out was more likely to make everyday life easier. Results shows that ordering groceries was more common among the studied families but demands for cooking have also increased during the pandemic. These effects require important skills, for examples planning, control of everyday life and craftsmanship which are taught in home economics lessons. The changes in food purchases and food choices in unexpected situations, like the Corona pandemic, may also gain more value in the future’s home economics teaching.

The need for interprofessional collaboration has increased as products and services have become more diverse. According to previous studies, experts can achieve objectives that would be impossible to achieve alone when collaborating. It is also possible to reach the desired outcome quicker, when working in collaboration. The intention of this study was to get information about the collaboration of experts working in a retail company’s Ecom process. Ecom is a process that requires experts from different functions to collaborate with one another. For this reason, this study uses the term cross-functional collaboration, along with the term interprofessional collaboration to the describe the collaboration of the experts. This study aimed to answer the questions, what kind of collaboration do the experts take part in and what characteristics arose as the experts described cross-functional collaboration. The research data was collected via a semi-structured interview. Seven Ecom process experts were individually interviewed. The interviewees were from sales, marketing, and IT. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. It was found that constant cross-functional collaboration was needed in the Ecom process. The experts had different experiences of the collaboration, depending on their job roles, tasks, and individual experiences. It was observed that the collaboration varied in intensity ranging from the transfer of information between functions, essential collaboration for the advancement of the process to ideation, planning and developing together. Relation expertise, collective information and cooperative procedures arose as the results for the second research question. Features related to relation expertise e.g., understanding the expertise of others and the other functions, and also shared information and cooperative procedures, which related to both research questions, suggested that recognizing and understanding boundaries is substantial for cross-functional collaboration. The results of this study are aligned with previous studies of what supports interprofessional collaboration and the significance of relational expertise and boundary crossing for collaboration, combining these research topics.

Objectives. The purpose of this master’s thesis was to find out what kind of effects being part of community has on being vegan. The community in which context veganism was studied was punk ja hardcore community where veganism is considered to be common lifestyle. This study aimed to find out in which way punk and hardcore communities relate to veganism and what is the significance of being vegan in order to be part of the community. Study also aimed to find out how does the community effect on being vegan. The theoretical framework of this study was constructed from the background factors and implementation of veganism and punk and hardcore subculture research. Methods. The study material was formed through a semi-structured thematic interviews. Eight vegans belonging to the punk and hardcore community (n=8) participated in the study. The interviewees were asked, among other things, how they experience community atmosphere regarding veganism, how the community affects their veganism and what they perceive community to be for those who aren’t vegans. The data was analyzed using theory-guiding content analysis. Results and conclusions. Veganism is viewed positively and is perceived as a significant part of punk and hardcore community and subculture. Veganism is not a determining factor in terms of belonging to the community, you can also belong to the community without being vegan. However, community encourages and slightly pressures towards a vegan lifestyle. The positive and helpful atmosphere of the punk and hardcore community has a positive effect on the initiation of veganism for the members of the community. The commonness of veganism in the community is perceived as an easing factor for the implementation of veganism. The community offers support, advice and encouragement in implementing a vegan lifestyle, which has been found to have a significant impact in terms of starting and continuing the vegan lifestyle.

Goal. This research considers what measures teachers can utilize to counter conspiracy theories. The study aims to investigate what recommendations six written texts offer teachers when they encounter conspiracy theories in the classroom. How many young people under 18 subscribe to conspiracy theories and how much influence conspiracy theories have on them remains uninvestigated. Research has shown that conspiracy theories threaten society and public health. Research is consistent with the idea that conspiracy theories threaten democracy and people’s health. Methods. This qualitative study employs inductive content analysis. The study includes six written texts from the National Board of Education (Finland), the National Agency for Education (Sweden), the National Union of Teachers, Expo, Grundskoletidningen, and Göteborgs-Posten. The material was analyzed using the qualitative research tool Atlas.ti. Ten minor subject categories under three significant themes arise from the texts. These thematic units are 1) Background factors to conspiracy theories, 2) Conspiracy theories are a threat to society, and 3) Conspiracy theories and school. These thematic units were analyzed using the material from the background theory. Results and conclusions. The results of the study exhibit that conspiracy theories are difficult to counter and that it is almost impossible to change the mind of a conspiracy theorist. Such theories appear from different historical, cultural, and human origins spread through various platforms of communication finding a greater reach into populations. People who felt a loss of control or powerlessness received explanations from conspiracy theories. The study showed that citizenship, education, and securing a job serve as reducing factors to the belief in conspiracy theories.