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The aim of this study was to describe difficulties in kids self-regulation and define multiple things that cause it in day care interaction situations. The research questions are 1. How difficulties in self-regulation appear in interaction, 2. What are the causes that effect to self-regulation, and 3. What pedagogical methods are applied concerning self-regulation in day care groups in this research. Stress is closely related with self-regulation. When faced with a stimulus, people become alerted. That elevates stress level and calls for self regulation. Self-regulation is considered as dependent on circumstances and interaction. Difficulties in self-regulation often coexist with difficulties in peer relations. People have inborn abilities to regulate emotions and behavior, but self-regulation skills are also learned in interaction with others. Human is considered to be pro-social by birth, and to be favoring helping others. Interventions concerning self-regulation has been developed, to enhance pedagogical sensitivity among day care teachers. Pedagogical sensitivity reduces stress and helps children to self-regulate. Two day care groups from Helsinki participated in this research. Research groups had children with special needs integrated. The data was collected by videotaping and observing the interaction in normal daily activities in spring 2015, two days in a row. Interesting clips were chosen from the videotapes to be shown to day care teachers together with the interviews. In interviews, the teachers commented about the situations from the videoclips and answered open questions about self-regulation. Observations from the videotapes and transcribed interviews were analyzed according to methods of qualitative content analysis. According to research findings, difficulties in self-regulation appear in interaction with unique ways. Children seem to have their own individual ways to react in face of a stress and in need of self-regulation. Difficulties in self-regulation appeared in behavior merely described with three concepts: ”fight, flee or freeze”. Difficulties were either active and extraverted, or passive and introverted. The causes that effect self-regulation in this research were distinctive and dependent on the situation. Children had very different abilities to face day care interaction situations. Self-regulation was effected with multiple, also random causes, and because of that self-regulation cannot be seen linear from its causes and effects. Causes were classified as 1. abilities to regulate, 2. causes that strain and challenging interaction situations. These three causes can be found in all research situations that had self-regulation difficulties. Adult support, well-planned, structured day care environment and customs, that have been formed together, were the main causes that supported self-regulation in this research. In research day care groups self-regulation difficulties were prevented in many ways. Teachers had good knowledge and know-how about self-regulation. To support development of self-regulation in wider perspective knowledge should be increased. Children should have opportunities to train their self-regulation skills in their natural interaction situations, for example, with adult supported play, and interventions that enhance emotion-regulation and interaction skills.

This thesis examines children’s citizenship in recent empirical research in the field of child-hood studies. The thesis will examine the questions, themes and theoretical approaches that have framed the studies of children’s citizenship. Childhood studies is a multidisciplinary field and the research concerning children’s citizenship is embedded within multifaceted social and political contexts. Children’s relationship with the citizenship is unsettled. Children are being given many rights, responsibilities and possibilities to participate but at the same time they are excluded from citizenship. Children’s place as becoming citizens has been persistent in societies where especially political citizenship remains a field fully open only for adults. This under-standing frames the recent research of children’s citizenship. The study data consists of 17 research articles that are examining children’s citizenship through empirical data. These articles were reviewed and analysed applying narrative analysis. The study data shows that children’s citizenship is constructed in social, political and historical contexts. Political and legislative structures are the basis of children’s social participation. In in-stitutionalised settings, children’s participation is enabled in participatory activities. These par-ticipatory settings facilitate children’s agency and advocacy but also demonstrate some re-strictions. The approaches of lived citizenship have opened new interpretations of the ways that children enact citizenship. The studied articles show that citizenship is a concept that illumi-nates the aspects of the relationship between children and adults and may generate some under-standing of ethical encounters. Examining the marginal positions of citizenship is helpful in discussing children’s place in society. Citizenship as a concept unfolds the different aspects of inclusion and exclusion in society.

The aim of this study is to explore a composing process as a way to support children’s creative agency in Early Childhood Education (ECE) settings. The research assignment is to describe, theorize and analyze a composing process in ECE. The research questions are to find out how does the composing process appear in ECE and what factors in the teachers action support children’s creative agency. Based on earlier research, creative and musical activities enhance children’s over all growth, development and learning. The role of teachers is seen important when supporting children’s creative agency. Creative agency as a concept is still new, and earlier studies have raised a need to develop creative and musical activities in ECE. New research and methods are needed to develop abilities to support children’s creative agency. This teacher inquiry was implemented as a qualitative action research, in a group of 5-6-years old children, in an ECE center in Helsinki. Children participated in eight composing workshops that were recorded. The data consisted of seven recordings with 12 children participating in a composing process. The data was analysed as theory-driven content analyzes. The findings of this study show that a composing process can be seen as collaborative practice, where encouraging atmosphere and observing children’s initiatives are key elements. The factors that support children’s creative agency in the teachers action can be divided in two: factors concerning the interaction between the teacher and the children and factors concerning the planning, implementation and evaluation of the activities. Creative agency can be supported by breaking the authority between teacher and children and by planning and changing the activities based on children’s needs and hopes. Based on these results, teachers can support children’s creative agency with they’re own action and a composing process is one possibility to do so.

Objectives. Nowadays children live in an information filled, stressful, and constantly changing world. Therefore, effective coping skills should be emphasized in education of children to ensure their healthy and balanced development. The aim of The Fun Friends program is to offer tools to educational professionals to contribute to the mental wellbeing of children, for example, enhancing their self-regulation skills. The purpose of this study was to find out how early childhood education teachers experience implementing the Fun Friends program with children aged between four and six. Commitment and attitude of early childhood education teachers to Fun Friends program and teaching the social and emotional skills were surveyed by researching their experiences. In addition, the aim was to examine how the early childhood professionals benefited from introducing the program. Methods. Four early childhood education teachers were interviewed for this research. They worked in public day care centres from three different cities. The interviewees were trained for introducing the Fun Friends program and the training was carried out by Aseman Lapset ry. The research material was collected with semi-structured thematic interviews. The data was analysed by qualitative content analysis with theory guided approach. Results and conclusions. According to the research all the interviewees had an understanding of the significance of the social and emotional skills in different sectors in children's lives. The results showed the interviewees were committed to implementing the Fun Friends program as small group activities. Regardless, the active, positive, and planned actions, transferring the content outside the small group meetings was rather weak amongst the interviewees. The results indicated that the comprehensiveness in the practise of the skills should be emphasized even more in the training of the program. By doing this the content wouldn't be restricted only to the small group meetings organised once a week. The interviewees informed they also benefited from the Fun Friends program professionally. For example, they improved the knowledge of the children and the relationship between them. In addition, part of the interviewees felt their awareness of their role increased in teaching the social and emotional skills. This can be seen as a significant benefit that can be achieved by implementing the Fun Friends program. Because adults' role is unconditionally important when a child is practising the social and emotional skills with their still very underdeveloped brain.

Objectives. The aim of this study was to describe in which ways child’s participation is seen in round-the-clock daycare centres’ preschool action plans. Preschool action plans are documents supplementing preschool curriculum. The starting point of the study was to find out how child’s participation is supported within the frame of reference of preschool. The need to this kind of research rises from childrens’ right to be heard about matters that concern themselves. The rights of the child are based on the Constitution of Finland (1999) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). In preschool this means all the activities included in the child's preschool day. The study examined how child’s participation is generally demonstrated and, in particular, from the point of view of learning, in round-the-clock daycare centers’ preschool action plans. Previous studies point out that child’s participation is seen as multidimensional phenomenon. Methods. The research was initially data-oriented. The data of the research consisted of preschool action plans of all six round-the-clock daycare centres in Helsinki. These were public documents and they were collected from the daycare center's own web sites. The study is qualitative by nature and the data was analyzed by using content analysis. The material was treated as a single entity and the action plans were not compared. Results and Conclusions. According to the research results, all action plans described child's participation in many different ways. The action plans described hearing of the child and his or her initiatives, the methods for hearing, the atmosphere related to hearing, the child's ability to influence and the child's learning from the point of view of participation. From the research results it can be concluded that adults in pre-school groups are aware of the factors affecting child’s participation. The results confirm the earlier views that the phenomenon of participation is multidimensional. The results also show how adults in preschool are aware of the child's right to be heard, influence and participate in his or her own community.

Objectives. The goal of this thesis was to examine the assumptions of an inclusion that personnel in early childhood education have. The theoretical context of this study is the ecosystem model of inclusive early childhood education. Model is developed based on Urie Bronfenbrenner´s ecological systems theory. In the ecosystem model is described macro-, meso-, ecso- and microsystem factors that has to be considered when early chilhood ecucation is developed as more inclusive. Concepts are also explained. Methods. The material of this thesis was collected in research that clarified the state of special support in early childhood education. In this thesis was analysed one question´s answers of that research. Answers was given 572. From these answers was chosen five personnel groups whose answers was received more than 15. From these groups (early childhood special education teacher, early chilhood education teacher, childminder, nursery nurse and day care center manager) was chosen 15 answers each, based on discretionary sample. The answers that were chosen told about inclusion from works point of view. The answers were analysed and categorized in themes. Fenomenografi and dialogical theme-making was used as methods. Results and conclusions. Seven themes were made from the answers: the pedagogical solutions and tools that support inclusion, inclusion as a value, associates who support inclusive early childhood education, inclusion as a child´s right, inclusion as a child’s place, the challenges that inclusion has and enough education and know-how for inclusion. Themes were divided in between personnel groups. Inclusion as a value and inclusion as a child´s right were mentioned in every groups answers. The pedagogical solutions and tools that support inclusion was mentioned mostly by early childhood education teachers and early childhood special education teachers. Inclusion as a child´s place was mostly mentioned by early childhood special education teacher and day care center managers. Inclusion´s challenges were mentioned mostly by nursery nurses and day care center managers. Enough education and know-how for inclusion was mentioned by day care center managers, early childhood education teachers and nursery nurses. Associates who support inclusive early childhood education was written by early childhood special education teachers and early childhood education teachers.

The aim of the study. A need to involve customers in decision making, planning, implementation and evaluating quality regarding their services has been identified in health care since 1990s'. According to ecological theories, communication should be rehabilitated by impacting both the communication disabled person and his/her communication partners and environments. For communication interventions, ICF classification offers a framework that emphasizes individual's functioning and participation. In speech therapy, community –based rehabilitation has become a common working method beside and even ahead direct ways of working with a customer. Community –based approach means collaborating with communication partners to enable development of communication. Parents have taken part in their children's speech therapy, but up until the beginning of the millennium their perceptions about the received services had not been explored. The effectiveness of speech therapy can be studied from different perspectives with qualitative and quantitative measures. The aim of this study was to explore parental views and experiences of the impact of the speech therapy their child has received on daily communication and interaction. Method. Data was collected by a questionnaire. Questionnaire was sent to those parents of medical and therapy clinic Contextia's speech therapy customers, whose child had received speech therapy for at least six months. 25 respondents filled in the questionnaire. Data was analyzed by using key statistic figures and cross tabulation plus qualitatively classifying the answers of open questions. Results and conclusions. The impact of the received speech therapy was considered significant relative to development of child's communication skills and parents were satisfied with the guidance received. The role of spontaneous development was viewed minor and the role of therapy major. Cross-tabulation did not reveal dependency between the perceived impact and potential explanatory variables, since the perceived impact was large and variation was minor. Practicing linguistic skills was considered the most significant content area of speech therapy. Practicing with computer or mobile applications was considered least efficient relative to daily communication. Utilizing their use in practicing has also been guided least to parents and kindergarten/school personnel. Respondents perceived kindergarten's/school's role more significant than family's role in supporting rehabilitation. The result challenges professionals and decision makers to consider how to ensure families' commitment and support to the goals and the implementation of therapy.

Objectives. Anxiety disorders and anxiety symptoms are common even as a child, and they cause a major burden to the child as well as to the society. In order to prevent anxiety disorders it is important to understand the predisposing factors to anxiety. The influence of child's temperament and parenting style on children's anxiety symptoms have both been studied, but the results are partly controversial, and there's only a limited number of longitudinal studies. The importance of interactions between temperament and parenting style has been emphasized, but the amount of interaction studies is scarce. The aim of this study is to examine the associations between child's temperament and anxiety symptoms, associations between parenting style and child's anxiety symptoms, and whether parenting style is a moderator between the association with temperament and anxiety symptoms. Methods. The sample consisted of 262 mother-child dyads participating in the Glychyrrhizin in Licorice-study. Mothers assessed their child's temperament with the Children's Behavior Questionnaire and their parenting style with the Parent Behavior Inventory when the children were 5,5 years old. Children assessed their anxiety symptoms with the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders when they were 12 years old. The associations between the variables were analyzed using regression analyzes. Results and conclusions. High negative emotionality and its subfactors anger, fear, sadness and low soothability were associated with several anxiety symptoms. Extraversion was not associated with any anxiety symptoms, but its subfactor high impulsivity predicted increased anxiety symptoms. Low effortful control and its subfactor low inhibitory control were associated with symptoms of school phobia, and low intensity pleasure was associated with panic symptoms. Anxiety symptoms were associated with hostile/coercive parenting style, but not with supportive/engaged parenting style. Both parenting styles moderated some of the associations between temperament traits and anxiety symptoms. The findings give support both to the independent effect of temperament to children's anxiety symptoms and interactions between temperament and parenting. The findings give also some preliminary support to the "goodness of fit" –model, indicating that the effect of parenting style on children's anxiety symptoms may depend on child's temperament.

Objectives. Theory of mind is the ability to assign mental states (e.g. beliefs, intentions and desires) to oneself and others as well as to recognise that others have mental states that differ from one's own. Theory of mind helps individuals understand others' minds and interpret and predict their behaviour in relation to their mental states. Thus, it is one of the most important skills for children's social development. Normally developing children are usually able to make inferences about the mental states of other people by 5 years of age. Theory of mind development is associated with e.g. verbal ability, gender, culture and family background. Recent studies indicate that temperament may also have an influence on children's theory of mind. Specifically, a less reactive, more observant temperament seems to enhance theory of mind development. Poor theory of mind may lead to various difficulties in social relationships. Thus, it is important to investigate relations between temperament and theory of mind. The aim of this study was to examine if children's temperament at 9 months and 3 years predicts theory of mind at 5 years of age. Gender differences in the relationship between temperament and theory of mind were also investigated. Method. This study used a sample from the prospective British Millennium Cohort Study. Child temperament was assessed by parental reports at 9 months and 3 years of age. Theory of mind was assessed with a false belief task at 5 years of age. The relations between child temperament and theory of mind were examined using logistic regression (n=8041). Results and conclusions. Child temperament at age 9 months did not predict theory of mind at age 5. However, low hyperactivity and inattention, high independence and self regulation, and high prosocial behaviour at age 3 predicted theory of mind at age 5 after controlling for gender, ethnicity, vocabulary and maternal education. There were no significant gender differences in the relations between temperament and theory of mind. In accord with previous studies, these findings suggest a relation between individual differences in temperament and theory of mind development. Future research is needed to clarify relations between temperament and theory of mind during infancy and early childhood.

The aim of the study was to describe children’s agency related to climate change and to find out what kind of climate actions children do. In addition, the factors limiting and supporting children’s climate action were studied. The climate crisis is a wicked problem that requires a change in human behavior. In recent years young people's concern about the climate change as well as their social impact have increased. Previous research shows that active agency promotes student’s environmentally responsible behavior. Efforts have been made to strengthen children's empowerment and agency in society by increasing opportunities for participation. In this study climate change knowledge, emotions and climate change action were the main research themes. The target group consisted of 4th grade children (N = 18) which were interviewed during winter 2021. The group interviews were recorded and analyzed using theory-guided content analysis. The children were able to name causes and consequences of climate change, as well as to suggest solutions. Participants also expressed misconceptions about climate change. Differences were found considering how children experience the severity of climate change. Emotions that the participants associated with climate change were anxiety, sadness, fear and hope. However, not all participants associated strong feelings about climate change. The children committed climate actions related to transportation, food, energy consumption and social impact. The study showed that child's social environment can act as a limiting or promoting factor in climate action. Adult example in particular, such as parents’ role, was significant. The study shows that children’s climate action is a multidimensional entity. As some children feel that their own influence in mitigating climate change is weak, there is a need to create more opportunities for participation. Adult’s role as an enabler of child’s climate action is essential.