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  • Pellikka, Katri (2018)
    The goal of this master’s thesis is to describe and interpret how everyday food preparation is accommodated in families with teenage vegetarians. This thesis is based on an ecocultural view of proactive and adaptive families (Weisner & Gallimore, 1994; Gallimore et al., 1989; 1993). The data were collected in a family interview that combined theme- and stimulated recall -interviews. The stimulated recall -material was a photo food diary, that the participating youths (n=6) kept for 5–7 days by photographing everything they ate and sending the photos by WhatsApp to the thesis writer. Each diary entry contained a photo and a short set of notes. In the interview the youths described their everyday lives surrounding the photos. Their participating family members (n=8) added to these descriptions to build the frames of everyday life in their families. Discussion themes were also added from a theme interview guide written by the thesis writer. The interview material was analyzed using content analysis. The material was coded and themed by using the Atlas.ti software, after which the results were divided into categories by type. The everyday life food types were named the hedonistic, pragmatic and enabling type. Through these types an understanding was formed about food preparation in everyday life of families with teenage vegetarians and the accommodating actions, which are used in each type of family. The accommodating actions were adapted according to the practices already used in the families. Vegetarian food was given the same kind of meanings, which already existed in the family culture. In the hedonistic type also vegetarian food was made meaningful through its good flavor, which led to adaptation by testing new foods adventurously and making vegetarian food for the whole family. In the hedonistic type vegetarian food was made meaningful, as was nonvegetarian food, through it being fuel for family members enabling other activities. The vegetarian was offered a vegetarian version of non-vegetarian food the other family members ate. In the enabling type family members ate different foods, because each family member had different kinds of liking and needs, and all of these wanted to be catered to. For this to be possible, ready meals and restaurant food was frequently used unless the vegetarian youth made their own food. In conclusion, products made to substitute meat and other animal products, good knowledge on food and cooking, vast resources the families had available and treating food preparation as a hobby made the accommodative activities easier.
  • Mäenpää, Sanna (2023)
    Besides traditional cookbooks and magazines, a large amount of food content is widely available in various digital sources, such as social media or websites – thanks to digitalization. The wide accessibility of food content offers an opportunity to seek inspiration from various sources. This thesis studies why people are seeking for food inspiration, and what kind of food content they find inspiring. Additionally, it explores which type of sources people rely on when looking for food inspiration. The research was conducted by qualitative methods. Research data consists of 114 responses that were collected using an open-ended online questionnaire during October-November 2022. The questionnaire was distributed using different messaging applications relying on snowball effect. Additionally, the questionnaire was also shared in social media. The collected material was analyzed using a data-oriented content analysis. Furthermore, some quantification was also performed on the data. Consumers explained their reasons for seeking food inspiration through five motive categories: 1. helping everyday life, 2. the charm of novelty, 3. a special occasion or date, 4. diets and preferences, and 5. well-being and economy. The study also found indications about which elements consumers find interesting in food content. They were 1. visuality, 2. simplicity and speed, 3. trendiness and recommendations, 4. healthiness and vegetables, and 5. seasonality. Among the sources of food inspiration, the internet (56 mentions), magazines (56 mentions) and Instagram (50 mentions) received the most mentions in this study. The results examine the needs and views of consumers regarding food content. However, there is still need for further research such as considering the differences between genders and age groups.
  • Heino, Riina (2016)
    Aims: New forms of food services appear in the food market constantly as consumers are looking for new ways to ease their everyday lives. One new form of food services is a grocery bag service. With one delivery consumers may receive recipes and groceries to use for meals for several days. The aim of this study was to find out the impact of Anton & Anton's grocery bag service on the everyday life of its users. Another goal of this study was to explore the themes that lead to the choice to use of the service. The research questions are as follows 1) Why do consumers use grocery bag services, and 2) How does the grocery bag service affect to the everyday life management of the household. The theoretical framework of this study is based on earlier studies of consumer's food choice, and the concept of everyday life management by Liisa Haverinen (1996) Data and methods: The study was conducted with qualitative research. The data was collected with a questionnaire utilizing Typeform Internet application in March 2016. The participants were regular customers of Anton & Anton's grocery bag service. 109 answers were received to the questionnaire. 93% of respondents were female and only 7% male. The largest group of respondents (57) were between age of 30 to 45, the second largest were 45-65 year olds with 31 responses and the next were the 18-30 year olds with 15 responses. There were only six respondents aged over 65. Almost 60% of the respondents lived in a household with one or several children. The analysis of the data was conducted by content analysis and thematic analysis. Results and discussion: The results of the study suggest that the use of grocery bag services had many types of effects on the everyday lives of its users. The effects were perceived as mainly positive. According to the experiences of the users, the grocery bag service made their everyday life easier. The service developed the users' cooking skills and encouraged them to try new experiments in the kitchen. The users told that the use of the grocery bag service developed their diet to be more healthy and diverse. The service also made their grocery shopping more economical and systematic, and the shopping experience became more pleasant. The service directed the users to voluntarily make time and effort towards cooking. On the other hand the service decreased shopping time, which freed plenty of time in the users' everyday lives. The quality of the users' lives seemed to improve with successful cooking experiences as well as with distinguishing their own values in their food choices. According to the users, positive aspects of the grocery bag service also include decrease of food waste, increase of the use of vegetables and fish and decrease in unnecessary purchases, which save money.
  • Seppälä, Riina (2021)
    The year 2020 changed our everyday life. The exceptional circumstances with Covid-19 have suddenly affected people’s everyday life. The purpose of this study is to observe how meal box service can help everyday cooking habits during the exceptional situation. Meal box service consists of food items, premeasured, and accompanied by a set of recipes. Meal box are mostly delivered home, or you can pick it up from special store. This study analyses what consumers appreciate when using meal box service and how it helps everyday life. People who took part in this study have used the meal box service during corona situation between autumn 2020 and spring 2021, when everyday life felt normal again after the crisis-like nature during spring 2020. This research applies qualitative methodology. The data were collected by using the theme interview method with both face to face and remote access. The interviews were made during February and March 2021. Nine adults took part in the interview, age range 26–56 years. All interviews were living in one- or two-people’s households without children. The interview records were analyzed using qualitive content analysis. The results of this analysis can be divided into three main categories as following, everyday life routines, services during the exceptional situation and change of everyday life. The results of this study show that meal box service helps everyday life by saving time from grocery shopping and meal planning and giving more time to do some other tasks. Covid-19 situation shows that people wanted to support companies by using meal box service. During the exceptional situation people have spent more time at home, which increased the need to prepare more food at home. This is one of the reasons people wanted to choose meal box service. Meal box service helps by diversifying eating habits and lowers the need to do grocery shopping. Other positive effects were discovering new recipes and ingredients. Difficulties using the service were that it didn’t remove the need for grocery shopping altogether. Special diets where also founded to be quite challenging when using meal box service because it didn’t take all diets inconsideration. Some people thought that weekly subscription was too captivating, because they didn’t want to use the service every week.
  • Koskinen, Heikki (2018)
    The aim of this thesis is to examine the rhetorical means used in vegetarian cookbooks. The study explains what kind of rhetorical means vegetarian cookbook authors use in order to persuade readers to become vegetarians. This research also explains how marginal position of vegetarian diet in Finnish food culture appears in the use of these rhetorical means. The theoretical background of this study is based on the evolution of vegetarian diets and on different standpoints to rhetoric and argumentation. The research questions are: 1. What kind of means of rhetorical convincing are utilised in vegetarian cookbooks? 2. How marginal position of vegetarian diet appears in the use of rhetorical means? The material of this discourse analysis was gathered from 22 vegetarian cookbooks. To subject of the analysis was selected such text entities where authors discussed their stance on vegetarian diets and where they examined their perceptions to vegetarian choice. This kind of ready-made research material can be called naturalistic because researcher has not participated in the production of the material. The research material was analysed by using rhetorical means of Jokinen (1999). The use of rhetorical means was versatile and abundant in vegetarian cook books. Almost every category of rhetorical means by Jokinen (1999) was utilised by cook book authors. Only rhetorical mean, called ´factual speech´, was not noticed in the research material. In addition to rhetorical means by Jokinen, two other rhetorical ways of convincing were found from the material. However, the use of rhetorical questions and irony was unimportant. The use of rhetorical means was also very flexible as often one rhetorical mean contained elements from another. The marginal position of vegetarian diet appeared in two ways. First, cook book authors described vegetarian diets with positive images and definitions. On the contrary, foods of animal origin were described with negative expressions. The cook book authors also portrayed a theme of change on many levels while assuring readers.
  • Mettälä, Katri-Maria (2015)
    Objectives: The main objective of the research was to find out the changes in eating habits of Russians who had been residing in Finland for over ten years and the reasons behind the changes. An additional objective was to find out Russians positive and negative experiences concerning Finnish food culture. Tahire Koctürks theory of eating habit changes while living in a foreign country was used as the main theory in the research. In addition, Kittlers chart explaining the selection of food was used. Results of the study have been compared to a survey by Pirjo Honkanen and Research by Ganskau et al. about food selection of Russian consumers has also been used as an aid in analyzing the results. Methods: A qualitative interview was used as the research method. A theme interview was conducted with seven Russians, who had resided in Finland for over ten years and were living in the metropolitan area at the moment of the research. In addition the informants had to have moved to Finland as an adult so that Russian food habits and cultural traditions had already been fully adopted. All interviews were recorded and transcribed. The results were compiled and bound to a theoretical framework using content analysis. Results and conclusions: During the years residing in Finland, Russians eating habits had changed towards a diet containing less fat, salt and sugar. The Russians had adapted well to Finland without major negative signs of acculturation. The results of the research are in line with Koctürks theory of eating habit changes while residing in a foreign country. The changes begin to take place in a predictive order and from certain food groups. Furthermore, the Russians food choices can be explained by the factors listed by Kittler et al. Based on this thesis, it can be concluded that dietary habits are affected by immigration but some of the cultural habits remain unchanged. Due to the small amount of informants, it is not possible to generalize the results to cover all Russian immigrants residing in Finland. However, the results can be considered as guidelines.
  • Paakkinen, Maritta (2015)
    Aims: Community supported agriculture (CSA) belongs to the alternative food networks that have become more prevalent in recent years. Common features for CSA are local food, support for environmentally friendly agriculture and communality. The aim of this study is to clarify the effects of CSA on the everyday life of the members. The research questions are 1) how the membership of CSA and the weekly vegetable box affect the management of the household food economics and 2) how the membership of CSA does affect the everyday life management of households. The study was carried out among the members of the Herttoniemi Food Co-operative. This urban farm in an applied version of the CSA. The theoretical framework of this study consists of the concept of everyday life management of Liisa Haverinen (1996) and of the previous studies on CSA. Data and methods: This study is a qualitative study. The research data was collected by means of three focus group discussions. There were 16 Herttoniemi Food Co-operative members participating in total. The data was analyzed using thematic content analysis. Results and discussion: The results showed that the membership of the food co-operative has many kinds of effects on the everyday life. In cooking, the members tended to be more creative, open-minded and inventive. Cooking from scratch increased. The time used for cooking seemed to increase. The members used vegetables in greater quantity and with more versatility than before. The members' skills in vegetable processing and recognition developed. Further, the membership did improve knowledge of the food chain in general and members' food literacy. In families with children the membership had a special educational focus. Local food, also organic food in some families, and the knowledge of the origin of food seemed to improve satisfaction of life. The membership had increased the valuing of food generally. It appears that the membership of food co-operative has extensive effects on the members' everyday life. It seems that implementing one's own values in food supply will increase satisfaction in everyday life. The membership is likely to increase ethical reflection related to food choices.
  • Eloranta, Oona (2017)
    Aims. Food education in daycare has a significant impact on children's eating habits and in forming children's attitude towards food. Encouraging and positive food talk has a positive effect on children's eating, while pressuring or forcing interaction lowers children's attitude towards food. Food education in daycare centers will experience changes in the fall of 2017, when The National Curriculum Guidelines on Early Childhood Education and Care in Finland are updated. With the new regulations, the importance of food education will be emphasized and it will become more goal orientated. The aim of this study is to find out how food education is currently being implemented as a part of early childhood education in a daycare center in Espoo, and how the different areas of food education are presented in food talk of the daycare centers personnel. Methods. The material of the qualitative study was collected ethnographically by attending breakfast-, lunch- and snack times for the duration of two weeks in a daycare center in Espoo. The material was collected by recording the daycare centers personnel and the children speaking as well as by observing dining situations and making notes. Quantitative research data was collected to support the qualitative data by calculating the frequency of food talk themes with a predetermined table. Qualitative research material was analyzed by thematising. The nursery group consisted of 21 children, one teacher and two nurses. A trainee, a volunteer or a substitute was occasionally present. Results and conclusions. The daycare centers food talk included all the different areas of food education, but their emphasis varied greatly. Most emphasized ones were tasting the food and table manners. The personnel spoke to the children about the food mainly in a positive tone and they also spoke to the children about the origin and methods of cooking the food. There was hardly any reference to hunger or thirst of the children, and the names of the foods being served were not always told to the children. Children were not encouraged to use the food plate model. Various food cultures or food-related responsibility education were not very strongly present in the food talk. Based on the results, food education in the daycare center could be developed by balancing different areas, so that food education would better meet all the goals set for it, even when the new National Curriculum Guidelines on Early Childhood Education and Care will come into force.
  • Ahonen, Hanne (2020)
    Previous studies show that forming a relationship and living together converge eating habits and practices. Sharing meals together symbolizes care and the cohesion of family members. In addition to the ideas of sharing and togetherness, relationships also encompass gender-based food-related expectations and potentially unequal division of labour. The meanings food gains at homes and factors related to food choices and division of labour are less considered in food consumption and time use statistics. In this study, I will examine meanings of food and food negotiations in a new relationship. The study analyses the views of couples on their dynamics in the field of food decisions and practices, thus increasing understanding of the spouses’ food relationship, alongside the romantic relationship. The material of the qualitative research consists of half-structured thematic interviews of five heterosexual couples. A total of ten persons were interviewed individually. The interviewees were 18–52 years old. The material was analysed by means of a category analysis. Interviewees felt that the new relationship had affected their eating habits and reported some dietary convergence. However, men and women reported partly dissimilar changes. The ma-terial consisted of five categories describing the justifications given for decisions of joint meals. To describe the food roles of the couples, the material also included a category pair: a food director and a spouse. All in all, men described their cooking in hobby terms while women tended to restrict their eating. Male food directors accentuated the pleasure of eating and cooking. Female food directors brought out a variety of food ideologies and occasionally perceived everyday cooking as a burden. Sharing food work was appreciated, either as an occurring practice or as a wish. As a key conclusion, it can be said that in a new relationship, the role of food and food practices will be emphasized and they will gain meanings of pleasure and restriction, individuality and connection as well as power and responsibility. The food directorship partly follows and partly challenges the genders’ relationship to food and food practice. The satisfying division of food labour is not only a matter of time spent, but of sharing the work burden and the restrictive nature of domestic work.
  • Ruottunen, Sanni (2014)
    The purpose of this study is to find out if there is any connection between Swedish immersion education and high language learning motivation in Finnish schools. The study aims to find out what kind of differences can be noticed in the quality of language learning motivation between immersion students and the students from general classes. One research problem is can the Academic Motivation Scale questionnaire be used to explore language learning motivation. If a relationship between immersion education and language learning motivation was found, better tools for immersion teaching could be developed. It could also give advice for those parents who consider their child's participating in immersion education. The study is quantitative study. The study was carried out with 261 8th and 9th grade students from four upper secondary schools in Finland. The participants were immersion students and students from general classes. The data for this study was collected in the Spring 2013 and 2014. The data was gathered by using an electronic survey questionnaire which was formed to measure students' language learning motivation, and specifically the quality of motivation according to the Self-Determination Theory. The data was analyzed with quantitative analysis methods, for example Explorative Factor Analysis and Variance Analysis. Immersion education, Self-Determination Theory and language learning motivation are discussed in the theory section. The empirical part of the study discusses first the functionality of the survey scale, and then the results from the survey. The results aim to find out the differences in language learning motivation between immersion students and students from general classes. As a result it was found out that the motivation scale did not function exactly according to the Self-Determination Theory. The questionnaire needs further developing to fit better in the language learning motivation context. According to the study it can be said that the Swedish immersion students had higher and more intrinsic language learning motivation and they experienced less amotivation than the general class students. However in this study also the students from general classes were rather highly motivated, so the differences between these two groups were not as significant as they were predicted to be.
  • Mäkinen, Ida (2015)
    Aims. The goal of the research is to open the differences between Swedish speaking and Finnish speaking kindergartengroups and their quality. The aim of the study is to find out whether there are differences in Swedish speaking and Finnish speaking kindergarten groups. Previous studies have shown that learning environments affect on the child's motivation, the way the child commits to the task and the child's performance. The quality of the classroom environment also affects on the child's well-being and development. Data and methods. A quantitative study consisted of Swedish speaking kindergarten groups (N=48) and Finnish speaking kindergarten groups (N=38). The survey consisted of respondents from Finland (N=86). The analysis was done with the SPSS-software and included examination of t-tests. The results were compared between language groups. The results and discussion. The learning environments were of better quality in Finnish speaking kindergartens. The arrangements of the environment had more quality in Finnish speaking kindergartens. The differences between Finnish speaking and Swedish speaking kindergartens were statistically significant (p<.03). Differences between Finnish speaking and Swedish speaking kindergartens were statistically significant (p<.00) in activity and transitions. Finnish speaking kindergartens also had better quality in classroom activities (p<.00). Finnish speaking kindergartens exceeded the Swedish speaking kindergartens in instructing the child's behavior (p<.00). The early childhood care takers ways to plan the work was also of better quality in Finnish speaking kindergartens as opposed to Swedish speaking kindergartens. The results were statistically significant (p<.04) The need of more research is obvious, because of the lack of studies about Swedish speaking early childhood education. The results also raised some ideas for further study, for example a study about the administrative differences between Finnish speaking and Swedish speaking early childhood education.
  • Tanner, Erika (2019)
    Recently there has been a growing interest and concern in students’ well-being. According to the study “Korkeakouluopiskelijoiden terveystutkimus” (2016), one third of university-level students suffer from mental health problems. The Swedish-speaking elementary school tea-cher training program was founded in Helsinki in 2016, but yet there is no research data available. The purpose of this research is to describe the well-being of Swedish-speaking elementary school teacher students using the student well-being model developed by Sout-ter et al. (2014). In this model well-being is divided into seven domains: having, being, rela-ting, thinking, feeling, functioning and striving. I gathered my research material with a qualitative attitude research method, developed in Helsinki University by Vesala & Rantanen (2007). I conducted the research as an online survey in April 2019. The survey was sent via email to all 120 students in the teacher trai-ning program. The survey was successfully completed by 20 students. I analyzed the rese-arch material with a theory-based content analysis. The well-being of the students who participated in my study is essentially very good. The domains of Having, Relating, Feeling and Striving were especially positive. The students were satisfied with the teachers, the learning environment and the teaching. Students felt appreciated by teachers and other students and they felt social cohesion. Mainly positive emotions were felt in the studies and students strove towards goals. Being, Thinking and Functioning were the weakest domains, but still more positive than negative. The principal factors that had a negative effect on well-being were stress and lack of time.
  • Salo, Martti (2016)
    Aims The aims of this thesis were to examine the audience feedback given during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics regarding ice hockey commentator Kaj Kunnas. Yle received an unprecedented amount of feedback about Kunnas via e-mail. Sports commentators have a significant role in sports broadcasting considering the viewing experience of spectators. The aim of this study was to form a view of the issues about Kunnas that existed in the audience feedback. Methods The thesis was conducted as a qualitative study. The original data was collected from the entire mass of audience feedback regarding all sports commentators in the Yle TV broadcasts during the Sochi Winter Olympics. The final research data that was used in the thesis consisted of 213 critical and reasoned, individual feedback that focused on the sports commentating of Kaj Kunnas. The 213 individual feedbacks were analyzed with an inductive content analysis method, using the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet program. Results and conclusions The results consisted of five subjects that described the themes within the critical audience feedback regarding Kaj Kunnas. The subjects are: 1. Speech and voice control, 2. Spoken language, 3. Knowledge about ice hockey, 4. Concentration, 5. Individual personality. These topics reflect the expectations of the public considering ice hockey broadcasts. They also reflect how the commentator should take account of the public viewpoint. The results of this study can be applied to the field of education, as well as a basis for further studies.
  • Lehtimäki, Juulia (2019)
    Aims. There is research evidence that the food habits of Finnish men aren’t completely consistent with the recommendations – it seems that Finnish men prefer meat courses. Especially in main courses eating red meat is emphasized. In addition, men don’t eat enough vegetable products. Studies also show that family life affects the men’s diets – it entails rush years and busy schedule in which your and your family’s diet should be adapted to. In this study it is observed, what kind of diet men with families have and what kind of things affect their diet. The study also explores ways of improving men's diet and eating less red meat and more vegetarian products. Methods. The research material consists of interviews from eight men with families that have tak-en part in the Miesliesi-project’s course from Marttaliitto. The interviews were conducted as tele-phone interviews in December 2018 and they were carried out as thematic individual inter-views. Analysis method was qualitative content analysis. Results and conclusions. Family men’s diet is particularly influenced by family life, through which men justify their food choices. The whole family’s preference and often the awareness of being a role model to children would seem to guide what ends up on men’s plate at general mealtimes. At lunch time men have the possibility to make food choices according to their own preferences. However, these decisions are guided by the selection of restaurants and what dishes they offer. The food choices were also justified with the busy everyday life. In the middle of hurry semi-finished food, convenience food and fast food come along. Men like to eat red meat and it is emphasized especially in main courses. Also chicken dishes are preferred and in addition, almost everyone eats at least sometimes fish dishes. Vegetarian prod-ucts such as vegetables, potatoes, pasta and rice are eaten as a main course supplement. Breakfast, snacks and supper complement the diet and at these times berries, fruits and corn products are especially eaten. Dairy products are also eaten, but their use wasn’t emphasized in this study. Although men eat vegetarian products, they could include them more into their diets. Men who live the busy everyday family life don’t always manage or don’t know how to or don’t have the time to invest in food or preparing it. It would be very important to support boys’ and men’s cooking skills and increase knowledge about healthy eating. The third sector is one im-portant facet, that could enlighten and try to strengthen boys’ and men’s healthy and vegetable oriented eating. The Miesliesi-course from Marttaliitto is a good example of how to support and strengthen such eating as well as the everyday skills.
  • Lehtonen, Miikka (2008)
    The objective of the study was to explore the dimensions of group identity in the guilds of World of Warcraft. Previous research shows that social interaction has an important role in playing games for many players. Social identities are an important aspect of self-concept and since group related cues are more salient than personal clues in computer-mediated communication, the social gaming experience was approached through group identity. In the study a new scale will be developed to measure the group identity in games. Secondary goal is to study how different guild attributes affect the group identity and third goal is to explore the connection between group identity and gaming experience and amount of play. Subjects were 1203 guild members and 106 players not in a guild. The data was gathered by an Internet survey which measured group identity with nine scales, gaming experience with three scales and guild attributes with four scales. Also various background data was gathered. The construct of group identity was analyzed with explorative factor analysis. The typical experiences of group identity was analyzed with cluster analysis and effects of guild attributes with multivariate analysis of covariance. As a result of the study a new scale was developed which measured group identity on six dimensions: self-stereotyping, public and private evaluation, importance, interconnection of self and others and awareness of content. Group identity was experienced strongest in elder middle-sized guilds that had formal rules and that emphasized social interaction. The players with strong group identity had more positive gaming experience and played World of Warcraft more per week than the players who were not in a guild or identified to guild weakly. This result encourages game developers to produce environments that enhance group identity as it seems to increase the enjoyment in games. As a whole this study proposes that group identity in guilds is constructed from the same elements as in traditional groups. If this is truly the case, guild membership may have similar positive effects on individual's mental well-being as traditional positively evaluated group memberships have.
  • Viitala, Sini (2015)
    Small group size is considered to be the best option for groups of children under three years old. More and more children in day care centers also spend time in small groups. Small group activities are seen as a structural solution of the challenges the large daycare groups face. The new Early Childhood Education Law will require the wellbeing of children to be taken better into consideration when forming daycare groups in the future. The purpose of this study was to examine the toddlers parents and educators conceptions of group size as well as issues related to small-group activities and the concept of primary nursing in daycare under the age of three. The aim was to find out how small group activities and the use of primary nursing is justified and how these arguments reflect the quality of early childhood education in the groups of children under three years of age. This is a qualitative research using theme interviews as the research method. The study includes interviews of nine educators working at a day care center in groups of children under the age of three and interviews of three parents who had their toddler in day care treatment. The results of the survey suggest that groups at toddler day care treatment are formed primarily on the basis of structural factors, even though the children would benefit more if their needs and pedagogical perspectives would be taken into consideration. However when forming small groups the pedagogical and individual needs of the children were given more weight, though structural factors played a significant role as well. The study suggests that parents will appreciate the small treatment groups. Similarly, the educators in day care centers consider the small groups facilitating the implementation of high-quality early childhood education.
  • Tervo, Johanna (2015)
    Aim: The voice is an important part of group fitness instructors' work. Yet, the working conditions of group fitness instructors are vocally challenging due to acoustics, air conditioning, background noise and physical strain. Voice problems of group fitness instructors are quite briefly researched, but some studies show that these problems are common within this industry. The aim of this study is to find out what kind of voice symptoms occur among group fitness instructors, how often they occur, and also how many instructors have vocal symptoms. In addition it studies how the symptoms are felt to influence on individuals functioning and if there is a connection between the symptoms and the handicap caused by them. Methods: The material was gathered using an electrical survey and formed by answers of 276 group fitness instructors. All the subjects worked as group fitness instructors at least once a week. The survey had three parts: basic knowledge form, vocal symptom survey of seven symptoms and Voice Activity and Participation Profile. The material was analysed using statistical methods on program IBM SPSS Statistics 22. Statistical testing was made using nonparametrical tests. Frequencies, percentages and characteristics were calculated. Subjects were divided in two groups depending on whether they had two or more symptoms daily or weekly, or less than that. Results and conclusions: Almost two out of three of the respondents had at least one voice symptom weekly. About half of the subjects had two or more symptoms weekly or more often, which is considered as a severe amount. Voice getting strained, tired and hoarse were the most common voice symptoms. The effect of the voice problem on functioning were considered mild. However, the amount and rate of symptoms had a linear effect on functioning and wellbeing. Also, the subjects who had two or more symptoms daily or weekly were more restricted on their functioning. Vocal training received by group fitness instructors was thin. It could be beneficial to add aspects of vocal ergonomics on group fitness instructors' training and work.
  • Toppinen, Mari (2017)
    The aim of this study was to investigate kindergarten leaders' and kindergartenteachers' perceptions of group situations, successes and failures, as well as the cracks and the factors affecting them. The survey asks 1.) How subjects describe functional group situations? 2.) How they describe cracks in a group situations? 3.) How does the cracks in the interaction and group situations are reacted? 4.) What group situations, successes and failures are related to? The starting point for making the thesis were the thoughts associated with the concept of mentalization Fonagy (2009), Allen (2003, 2006) and Lyutenin (2009), Sajaniemi's and Mäkelä's (2013) ideas of group activities, and Fonsén's (2014) research related to the pedagogical management. Mentalisation is a prerequisite for the educator pedagogical sensitivity. Mentalisation is shown as a reflective activity, in which case the educator is able to describe the activities of another mental terms. (Larmo 2010) Pedagogically sensitive educator is able to meet a group of children and individual children's needs in a flexible way and to manage group situations for success. Mari Nislin (2016) reclaims in her study that pedagogical quality requires pedagogical sensitivity and also groupsensitivity. The other kindergarten team members, team culture and management together create a whole system, which will affect the quality of early childhood education. The data were collected in the autumn of 2014 and spring of 2015 by theme interviewing kindergarten leaders and kindergartenteachers. The research data analysis were applied phenomenographic approach. The material was processed with Atlas.ti program. This study found that kindergarten's leaders and kindergartenteachers description in group situations, successes and possible cracks and failures contributed to the same based on the material broken down into three categories significance of factors. These factors were the factors associated with the educator's mind and activities, operational culture of the team, and factors related to leadership. On the basis of the research material educators' ability to keep the group and its children in their own minds, helped the group situation became a success. In this case, the educator kept his group in control and was able to react flexibly to the surprising events in group situations. Successful group situation also required operating team member's ability to cooperate, to anticipate situations and good planning and commitment. Day care center director was seen to play an important role in the creation of these structures, together with the team employees.
  • Nygård, Nora (2018)
    This research’s purpose is to find out what four different class teachers are thinking about grouping in school classes and how important does the teachers see the grouping. Grouping is relevant part of class teacher’s job. This research started when I started to think why there is so big difference in behaviour in school classes. I started to think could it be about doing or not to do grouping in school class. That is the reason why I wanted to find out how class teachers which have experience about grouping sees importance of grouping This research is about four class teacher’s thoughts about grouping. I interviewed these teachers because they wanted to participate this research which was about grouping. This research was a case study research. My research’s meaning was to focus in four different class teacher’s thoughts about grouping in school class. I collected the data by interviewing these teachers. I analysed the data and made themes from it. The teachers who participated the research thought that grouping is very important thing in schools. They think that grouping effects on how students feel about themselves in school and as part of a group. The teachers used quite similar methods on grouping and they thought that grouping is more than students just getting to know each others. Grouping is large phenomenon, which effects on students but also to whole school and students free time also. Grouping requires a lot from teacher but when it is done well it makes the teachers job a little easier.
  • Jeskanen, Anu-Mirjami (2021)
    The purpose of this study is to determine the significance of rya-rug in today's homes. Based on previous rya-rug research, we know that rya-rugs have been widely woven throughout Finland and rya-rugs have been part of the interior design of almost every home. However, the idea of unhygienic and dusty textiles in the 1980s reduced the popularity of rya-rugs and the use of rya-rugs in decoration decreased. In recent years, rya-rug seems to have returned to the interior and one can talk about some kind of “rya-rug boom”. Both collectors and enthusiasts find rya-rug interesting. This study seeks to find out how rya-rugs are used as part of interior design and what meanings are associated with them. The research is qualitative. The material was collected with a questionnaire via Facebook's Rya-rug, the Finnish traditional textile group. 366 people participated in the study. The material was processed using qualitative content analysis. The results of the study show that rya-rug is interest to Finns as interior textiles, but also as Finnish traditional textiles and masterpieces. In interior design, rya-rugs would still seem to remain on the wall, although the use of rya-rugs on the floor, for example, has increased. Based on the research results, the leading features in choosing rya-rug are colors and patterns. Practical features such as warmth and acoustic properties are also appreciated. Most of the respondents had inherited the rya-rug and the rya-rugs were associated with a lot of memory and emotional charge. The most important rya-rugs turned out to be the ones that resembled relatives, were self-made or contained some other relevant story.