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Objectives. The purpose of this thesis was to examine curiosity and persistence and their associations with occupational well-being (measured as work engagement and burnout) among Finnish school principals during the Covid-19 pandemic. The theoretical framework was social and emotional skills and their associations with well-being described by the OECD. Previous studies have shown that social and emotional skills are generally positively related to life satisfaction, occupational well-being, and success. It was hypothesized that curiosity and persistence are positively associated with work engagement and negatively with burnout. In addition, it was examined whether principals' age and gender had any effects on the results. Methods. This thesis used data from the Principal Barometer 2021 research study. A structured questionnaire was sent electronically to 1,200 school principals across Finland in the spring of 2021. The sample consisted of 656 principals, of which 58.7 % were women. The average age of the respondents was 51 years. The data was analyzed using hierarchical regression analysis. Results and conclusions. The results showed that both curiosity and persistence were positively associated with work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption). Furthermore, persistence was negatively associated with burnout (exhaustive fatigue, cynicism and impaired occupational self-respect). In this thesis, principals' age and gender had no effects. The results indicated that curiosity and persistence are positively reflected in principals' occupational well-being, and it would be useful to foster and develop these skills. It is important to increase understanding of principals' occupational well-being, not only because of principals' own well-being, but also because their well-being is reflected in the well-being and success of teachers and students as well.

Objectives. Earlier studies have shown that international education policies are increasingly spreading, and that transnational organizations such as OECD play a key role in this development. This study focuses on locating the main educational policy themes from OECD’s publications and compares them with the educational policy objectives of the government programs of the Finnish governments in the 2010s with the aim of locating the similarities between the educational policy objectives of the government programs and the main themes of the OECD's education policy. The research questions guiding the research are: 1. What are the main educational policy themes that can be identified in OECD educational publications? and 2. What are the similarities between the educational policy themes of the OECD and the educational policy objectives of the Finnish government programs for the 2010s? Methods. The research was carried out as a qualitative study. The research material was collected from the OECD educational publications and from the educational policy objectives sections of government programs of the 2010s. An analysis method used in this study was data-driven thematic content analysis. The analysis first highlighted the main educational policy themes from OECD's educational publications, and then compared these themes with the educational policy objectives of the government programs of the 2010s to identify the similarities between them and the OECD’s main educational policy themes. Results and conclusions. In response to the first research question, seven main educational policy themes themes emerged from the OECD’s publications. The main themes are competitiveness and work life, equality, educational performance, innovation, lifelong learning, educational coverage and internationality themes. In response to second research question, the main educational themes of OECD’s publications in comparison to the educational policy objectives of the government programs of the 2010 government of Finland revealed several substantive similarities between the main themes and the educational policy goals of government programs. The purpose of the results is to stimulate an education-related debate on transnational educational policy guidance.

Wool is a biodegradable fibre that has been produced and used in Finland for centuries. The local cultural heritage includes knitted clothes resembling soft shell fabrics, such as the so called tikkuri, which is a traditional fisherman’s sweater from Hailuoto. Finnsheep is an old Finnish landrace, but its wool has been underused for a long time and not much is known about its qualities regarding especially clothing physiology. Breathability is one of the most important factors for any clothing and especially so in outdoor activities where sweat rate can chance rapidly. The aim of this study was to determine factors affecting water vapour permeability of Finnsheep wool knitted fabric to estimate Finnsheep wool’s potential as a soft shell type textile for outdoor clothing. A common cup test method was used to measure the water vapour permeability of samples that were knitted exclusively from white Finnsheep wool yarns. Two different yarns, two skeins each, from one spinning mill were used to knit samples in single knit. Average linear density (tex), twist counts, yarn structure and lipid content (%) were measured for all four skeins. Knit gauge, loop length and square meter weight of fabric were also measured. Results were analysed using non-parametric statistical methods as parametric methods could not be used due to small sample sizes. All measured yarn and fabric parameters affected samples’ breathability, but fabric parameters only correlated with the amount of the water vapour that had completely passed the fabric. Fabric parameters did not affect fabric’s ability to absorb water vapour. Linear density and lipid concentration correlated negatively with water vapour that had passed the fabric, whereas vapor absorption correlated with both twist counts and lipid concentration. Findings suggest that the best breathability results would be achieved using thin fabrics with a tight gauge. Thinner fabrics tend to have poorer heat insulation properties meaning that the structure of shell clothing knitwear should not be determined by just one feature. Surprisingly, the wool lipid concentration correlated positively with samples’ absorption abilities. In order to prevent water vapour from absorbing into woollen knitted fabrics, only yarns with low lipid concentration should be used. Sample sizes were small so these results should not be generalized. Instead, they inspire future research about Finnsheep wool and especially wool lipid’s role in physiological aspects of Finnsheep wool knitwear.

The main goal of this study was to investigate what kinds of epistemological beliefs about learning Mensa’s members have. I wanted to find out, if people with exceptionally high intelligence quotient represent so called sophisticated epistemological beliefs when it comes to learning and knowledge. Previous studies have shown, that these sophisticated beliefs about learning correlate with school achievements and higher level thinking. I’m also investigating does person’s sex, educational backround, age or the time they’ve been Mensa’s members affect these epistemological beliefs about learning. Based on the previous studies, I argue that Mensa’s members have sophisticated epistemological beliefs about learning and knowledge. This study’s target group, the highly intelligence persons, were all official members of Finland’s Mensa and so their intelligence quotient must be over 130. The data for this study was collected by digital questionnare, on Finland’s Mensa’s official Facebook-page and on their own web site. In February 2016 alltogether 148 people answered to this questionnare, 88 of them were male, 58 of them were female. The results of this study indicate that Mensa’s members represent usually growth model and have sophisticated beliefs about learning. They believed especially in taking effort in learning, which has correlated in previous studies with school achievements. Contrary to my hypothesis, women believed more strongly that knowledge is complex and women were more critical of knowledge’s reliance of authority. The youngest ones of my target group had more naive beliefs about the simplicity of knowledge, than older answerers had. Sophisticated beliefs about learning have an important role in school achievements but also in exceptional intelligence, and therefore it’s important that teachers and educators recognize and endorse their students epistemological beliefs.

Finland has multiple associations formed and operated by people with immigrant background. These associations arrange diverse activities. Usually these activities are affiliated with the lifestyle as a minority, for example: maintaining cultural traditions, advancing integration of the members of the minority to the Finnish society, and improving the position of the minority. I studied and collected research from the Afghan associations in Finland. The aim of my study was to clarify, how the minority position reflects in the discourse of the agents of the associations' and in the work of the associations. The theoretical framework of the study consists on discussion on citizenship, the construction of citizens' community, and the nation, politics of belonging, and the position and the possibilities of actions as minorities. To carry out the study, I interviewed six active agents of Afghan associations. The interviewees represented distinct associations from different parts of Finland. I analyzed the interviews using narrative analysis method pursuing to examine, how the small stories told by the Afghan agents reflect their socio-cultural reality. All the interviews have an outline relating to the experiences these individuals and their associations have as a minority, how they view Finnish society today, and their hopes and dreams for the future. The experiences of not belonging in the Finnish community cause the people with Afghan background challenges in defining their own national and cultural identity. The associations arrange activities that enable the maintaining of Afghan culture, and activities that advance the integration of Afghan people in Finland, without the force of integrating with all the cultural presumptions of the Finnish majority. In addition, negotiation on how and how much Afghan people can adopt Finnish culture and values, is carried out in and between Afghan associations. The negotiation causes tension inside Afghan community. The politics of belonging of the Finnish nation and the processes of exclusion define the Afghan peoples' possibilities to act and influence in the society. Through their actions, Afghan associations pursue to improve the position Afghan people in Finland, and thus increasing the recognition of their work, as Afghan's in the Finnish society.

The aim of the thesis is to analyze the discussion on refugees and asylum seekers in the newspapers of Helsingin Sanomat and Lapin Kansa in September 2015. The rising amount of refugees and asylum seekers coming to Finland formed a constant topic in the newspapers troughout the fall. Newspapers referred repeatedly to a phenomenon called ”refugee crisis” but this consept was not defined in any detail. This attracted interest in exploring the background and goals of using the concept. The ambiguity and power relations of the phenomenon led to analyze it with a discursive approach. This thesis is based on a theory of foucauldian analytics of government that examine the typical way for modern societies to perceive reality and its phenomena through the theme of governance. The governance includes different rationalities, i.e. thought-systems underlying governance, as well as techniques that are the tools to put the governance into action. Governance focuses on the population, and hence governance analytics provide an interesting theoretical framework for the news coverage of refugees and asylum seekers, who are paradoxically defined outside the population but still arrive within the boundaries of the country. The research material is the newspapers of Helsingin Sanomat and Lapin Kansa in September 2015. The research questions examine the governance rationalities and technologies of governance in the newspapers on refugees and asylum seekers. The research results show that governance operates in newspapers through a neo-liberal rationality, in which refugees and asylum seekers are perceived in terms of their economic productivity. The governance techniques, in turn, produce refugees and asylum seekers as problems with discourses of uncontrollability, crisis and numerical definition. Besides this, surveillance and takeover by the authorities forms it’s own technique of governance. The thesis shows how neo-liberal discourse produces refugees and asylum seekers to be social burdens who need to be governed with different techniques.

Goals of the study. Previous studies have shown that the main explanatory reason for immigrant students’ low scores in learning comparison tests such as PISA 2012 is their lack of language skills. Because of the universal symbol language and the strong affective reactions attached to learning mathematics, math has a disparate position as a school subject. The core meaning of this study is to find out if the universal symbol language could have an empowering effect on the self-efficacy of immigrant students suffering from a language barrier in elementary school, with the motive of enabling immigrants to experience self-efficacy in learning, even if they have not developed fluent Finnish speaking skills yet. Methods. The research method in this study was qualitative, theme-centered interview method, and was carried out by interviewing ten immigrant students that study Finnish as a second language in elementary schools in the Helsinki area. The research question was to determine qualitative and comparable characteristics of their self-efficacy in learning mathematics. The data was collected as audio files of the interview sessions and as pictures of the math exercises that the subjects showed as examples. The data was first transcribed and then analysed with thematic analysis. Results and conclusions. Seven of the interviewed subjects preferred math exercises that they also knew how to do. These exercises were more arithmetic, with no verbal assignments or features. The less liked and difficult exercises had fractions and verbal content that often included working with measurement units in them. Overall, the math assignments with textual features were seen as difficult. A high motivation to learn appeared as subjects’ will to improve their grades and as holding education in high value. In a few cases understanding math was seen as more comprehensible than understanding language and reading. These results reinforce previous research results on affective area, self-efficacy in mathematics learning, and the studies explaining poor learning outcomes of the immigrant students with language skill factors.

Although teacher’s work is guided by many norms, the practical choises and everyday decisions in school are the teacher’s responsibility. Teachers have to make many different decisions continuously and in most cases fast and intuitively. Because teachers are in a position of authority with their pupils it is crucial to consider the ethical aspect of teaching. The purposes and goals behind decision making have special significance in ethical analysis. That is why reflection, evaluation and contemplation are essential in teacher’s work. The aim of this study was to deepen understanding of teachers’ ethics and teachers as moral actors in the school system. In addition special attention was paid to ethical issues in teaching health education. The study was conducted as a qualitative study and the research data was collected using semi-structured interviews. The participants of the study were ten health education teachers who had taken part in training organized by MIELI Mental Health Finland (non-governmental mental health organization). The interviews were analyzed using data-driven content analysis methods. Teachers were asked to describe their own values and the values they wanted to impart to their pupils. Three larger categories were found in the values: common values, school-related values and values related to healthy life. The ideal of an ethical teacher was characterized by the combination of care and justice. Teachers also criticized teacher ideals and wished to highlight humanity as a part of ethicality. Teachers’ descriptions of moral conflicts were related to classroom management challenges and reflections on justice and fairness. Because health education deals with personal issues and sensitive matters, such as emotions and sexuality, teachers of the subject are expected to have special ethical sensitivity.

Aims. The goal of this study was to examine knowledge, attitudes and practical experiences about nutritional recommendations of pregnant mothers. The study was targeted at women who were expecting their first child. The study was motivated by public discussion as well as earlier studies of how dietary nutrition may affect the health over many generations. Key Research Questions were: 1. How are the first-time mothers with different socio-demographic backgrounds experiencing nutritional recommendations and information? 2. How do different first-time mothers reconcile practical recommendations in their diet and what changes are being made in the diet? 3. Which are the challenges of eating during pregnancy as a single phase of life cycle? Methods. The research was carried out in 2018 using a quantitative research method and using a network inquiry linked to a baby-themed group in social media. 287 women answered to the inquiry. The material was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics program. The most important frequencies were examined and the cross-tabulation and the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test were used in the analysis. Additionally, Chi-square test and independent samples t-test were used. Results and conclusions. Following the recommendations was mostly seen as easy. Those younger than 25 years of age experienced the recommendations easier. Respondents for whom compliance with the recommendations was difficult felt that the recommendations were too strict and that guidelines in different sources of information were conflicting. One third of the respondents had failed to comply with the recommendations on an occasional basis. This was mostly the result of situations where the content of the food available could not be affected. In addition, there was a discrepancy between the knowledge of the recommendations and the practical applicability of the recommendations: the respondent could experience knowing and following the recommendations, but in practice lack of knowledge could lead to deviating from the recommendations.

The purpose of this research is to provide an understanding of approaches used by Reform School (RS) teachers to support appropriate behavior amongst their students and to explore whether these approaches share similarities with Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Previous studies have shown that PBIS has resulted in positive effects among populations similar to RS students. The research question was: How do Reform School teachers describe their approach to supporting appropriate behavior amongst their students and to what extent are these descriptions in accordance with PBIS? Eight (8) teachers from five (5) Reform Schools were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews of 30-60 minutes were conducted with each teacher through Teams in the period of 05/2021-10/2021. Thematic analysis was used as the method of analysis. Three main themes, and their sub-themes, are presented in the results. The first main theme was characterized primarily by the use of group level methods aligning with PBIS. The second main theme was characterized by the use of a variety of group and individual level positive reinforcements aligning with the behaviorist principles of PBIS but taking distance from any standardized models. The third theme was characterized by basing its behavioral support on student-teacher-relationships and by expressing philosophical misalignments with the behaviorist principles of PBIS. Evidence-based methods to support appropriate behavior on an individual student level were not mentioned within any of the themes. All three main themes shared a view on the importance of safe and trusting student-teacher-relationships and a general strength-based approach as a foundation of RS teachers´ work. In conclusion, a general will to implement a “positive approach” could be identified in the data, but there was not a common view on how this should be carried out. Particularly, views on the behaviorist principles of PBIS were mixed. For future research, intervention studies focused on implementing PBIS in RSs are proposed. In addition, further research on students´ perspectives of behavior management in RSs is recommended and implications for practice are provided.