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The purpose of the research was to determine how well Finnish children and youngsters in different ages recognize poisonous and eatable wild plant species and to which characteristics they pay attention to when identifying plants. The purpose was also to find out, how well the pupils and students can estimate if the wild plants are either poisonous or eatable. The goal was to gather knowledge about what factors explain these recognition and estimation skills. Also information was wanted about attitudes of children and youngsters towards recognizing and learning the poisonous and eatable wild plants. The research was made on subjects of 48 children and youngsters from grade 6 in primary school, grade 8 in lower-secondary school and vocational school. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. A plant recognition test, where 38 pictures on plants was presented, was made for the all subjects. The subjects were requested to name the plants and classify them to be either poisonous or eatable. In addition six students were interviewed from each class, altogether 18 subjects. The themes of the interviews were the attitudes towards eatable and poisonous wild plants and to learn to recognize species. During the interview pictures of plants were looked at and the subjects told which characteristics they pay attention to when trying to recognize it. The results showed that on average wild plants were recognized insufficiently. Standard variation in responses was large in all classes researched. The subjects got better results in classifying of the plants to be either poisonous or eatable than in naming the plants. This research shows that even when a subject cannot name a plant it is still possible for the subject to classify the plant to be either poisonous or eatable. Gender and being an immigrant explained the recognition skills of poisonous and eatable plants so that girls were somewhat better to recognize plant species and native Finns recognized poisonous and eatable plants better that immigrants. Age did not explain the skills to recognize species directly, since students in lower- secondary school recognized the poisonous and eatable plants better than primary school and vocational school students. In skills to estimate plants' poisonous or eatability there was no difference according to gender, age, or immigrant background. The subjects considered the skills to recognize poisonous and eatable plants important. Learning to recognize plants at school was not considered interesting however. Since the recognition of plants in neighborhood belongs to tasks of general education it is important to think about how the teaching could be made interesting. According to findings of this study, especially the recognition of poisonous plants was considered important by the subjects. This knowledge as well as teaching about possibilities to utilize plants could be used as a way to motivate and teach the students.

The aim of this thesis was to research swearwords and sobriquets in the children’s book series Puluboi ja Poni. The research engages both in the swearing and in the name-calling research. Name-calling has been studied in the children’s language, most often considering bullying. For a long time, swearing was a neglected research area, but the interest in it has grown since the 1960’s. An even more rare research area has been the prevalence of swearing in the children’s language and literature. Children’s literature is both an instrument and object of learning. As an instrument of learning, it promotes literacy, and as its object, it passes on our pedagogical prospects. In this study, I will view what kind of swearwords and sobriquets are there in the children’s book series Puluboi ja poni. I will also view how are they used and talked about. The research material was a six-piece book series Puluboi ja Poni by Veera Salmi. This particular series contains a number of swearwords and sobriquets. The topic and the matter together create an interesting setting since swearwords and sobriquets are mainly considered inappropriate language and children’s literature is a tool of education. The study was qualitative and research method was discourse analysis. As an analytical tool I used both theoretical and material-based content analysis. There were 63 swearwords and 68 sobriquets according to the scope of the study. All three taboos were found in the swearwords of Puluboi ja Poni -book series. Most referred taboo were religious taboos. Typically, swearwords were used as expletives, for example to relief mental distress. Sobriquets were used to offend the referent. Sobriquets offended usually referents psychical traits. A number of meanings were given for swearing and name-calling; as that, it is ugly and forbidden usage of language. The discourse and metadiscourse in the book series were partly aligned. Puluboi ja Poni -book series challenges the prospects of appropriate and inappropriate language. It is a good tool to examine this phenomenon with adults and kids.

The aim of this thesis was to represent how female managers experience the importance of gender and professional networking and what kind of effects these have on their careers.The setting is based on the current discourse about the lack of female managers at the top and the reasons behind this phenomenon. In addition, the significance of social networks and relationships has increased both in the academia as well as in the everyday life during the last decades. The theoretical background demonstrates the gendered job markets and social networking from the perspective of the social capital theory. In this thesis social capital is comprehended as a resource of an individual that sources from social interaction and relationships. The hypothesis is that these relationships play a significant role when female managers are building their careers. The purpose of this study is to unveil how gendered workplaces are and to start a discussion about the status of female managers in them. The purpose is also to study the importance of networking as social capital and how it affects female managers' careers. The professional network for women studied both from the perspective of gender and social networking theory in this thesis is Gaia Network ry. The network was established to give support for women in high or demanding leadership positions. The data was collected by using an electronic questionnaire. The questionnaires were supported with three semi-structured theme interviews which were then analysed by using qualitative content analysis. Out of the 215 women in the network, 33 participated in the study. The results show that gender is considered as a hindering and a neutral factor but also as an asset for women's careers. Contacts, professional development, mental wellbeing, reputation and status were pointed out as the most important qualities of female networks. The downside of the networks was the lack of diversity. Women in the study felt that the benefits gained from the network are conditional to one's active participation. As a conclusion, changes in attitudes and the perceptions of traditional gender roles are needed in order to achieve equal treatment in the workplace. This should have roots already in children's' upbringing and education. Actions are also needed in order to change the dominant masculine workplace culture. Professional networks have the potential to cultivate women's careers and this resource could be utilised in the future more efficiently.

A large body of experimental research indicates that from an early age children are able to engage in compassionate behaviour. However, less focus has been paid on how children's compassionate behaviour is constituted in naturalistic settings. The aim of this study was to investigate what are children's compassionate acts in a natural kindergarten setting and how do children's peer relationships interrelate with these acts. The study is part of the research project "Constituting Cultures of Compassion in Early Childhood Education (CoCuCo)". The theoretical framework of the study is based on the complex concept of compassion and the constitution of children's compassionate behaviour in social contexts. Although human's have a natural tendency to empathy and compassion, the sociocultural context in which people interact has a great influence on whether compassion is nurtured or suppressed. Previous research suggests that as children age their compassionate behaviour changes, which might be due to the increase in children's social understanding. The current study was conducted by observing 30 5-7-year-olds children's interaction in a kindergarten setting. Children's compassionate acts and contextual factors were recorded by using a semi-structured observation form. The data was analysed using qualitative analysis methods. Sociograms compiled by child group's staff were used to define children's peer relationships. The findings of the study showed a wide variation in children's compassionate acts. Acts such as helping and defending a friend were more frequent among children than acts of caring, comforting and inclusion. There was no clear correlation between children's compassionate acts and peer relationships. Children exhibited more compassion towards other peers than close friends but also failed to respond to the need of a non-friend peer more frequently. In addition, children with more reciprocal friendships seemed to engage more in compassionate behavior while at the same time failing to react compassionately to peers' needs more frequently than children with less reciprocal friendships. The findings strengthen the idea of compassion's complex nature and call for broader research on how children's acts of compassion are constituted in naturalistic settings in children's everyday life.

Changes in work and agency work in itself have brought new challenges to working life and to the way that work is organised. Previous studies have shown that agency worker is in a difficult and confusing position in between the staff leasing company and the company that rents the agency worker. It has been suggested that agency workers often have less rights than permanent workers in the same company. Previous studies have shown reliable results when workers are given the opportunity to participate to the work development done at their work place. This type of involvement strategy has had a positive impact to general working and to coping at work. The aim of this master’s thesis is to examine how agency workers experience work development and do they feel like they have opportunities to participate in work development at their workplace. Eight agency workers from Helsinki Metropolitan area were interviewed. The agency workers were partly found through an advertisement in social media, and after that snowball sampling was used. All the agency workers were studying besides their work at the time of the interviews. Some of them had been working as an agency worker only few months and some for several years. They worked in different fields, for example as a shop assistant and a warehouse worker. The data was collected using theme interview. The analysis of the data was conducted using phenomenographic approach. Agency workers feel that the concrete changes in work place are important parts of their work development. In addition to that they feel they could do more and take on bigger responsibilities. The experience of agency workers is that they don’t have many opportunities to influence to work development in their work place. The biggest reason for the lack of opportunities is seen to be their position as an agency worker. Also, some agency workers feel that they don’t even have the need to develop their work and they see their position in agency work as temporary.

Aims: The aim of this study is to describe how childless shift workers combine a romantic relationship, free time and work. It was examined from the point of view of everyday life. The central theory was the model of multiple role involvement which means that different roles of a person can strain or enhance each other. The purpose of the study is to investigate how shift work affects combining work and a romantic relationship. Another purpose is to investigate which factors are crucial for the successful combining of shift work and a romantic relationship. Methods: The study focused on childless shift workers who were in a romantic relationship. The research data was collected by an online questionnaire which was published on the Facebook page of five labor unions. The questionnaire included background questions, six scaled questions and ten open-ended questions. The sample consisted of 139 shift workers from different professions and age groups. The research data was analyzed by using content analyzing and categorizing. The participants were divided to six types by using the fact how well they had succeeded in combining shift work and a romantic relationship. The combining of shift work and a romantic relationship had succeeded excellent, well, moderate, bad, very bad or better than in a previous relationship. Results and conclusions: Shift work seemed to be a challenging and straining working time model. However, most of the couples had succeeded in combining work and a romantic relationship. The factors behind successful combining of shift work and a relationship were 1) love and willingness to continue a romantic relationship, 2) relationship-oriented attitude, 3) openness and communication skills, 4) planning schedules and spending time with his/her spouse, 5) flexibility and adapting shift work, 6) consciousness of own responsibility of combining work and a romantic relationship, and 7) the model of employment of the spouse. It is necessary to have both practical and romantic skills in combining work and a romantic relationship. It is also crucial to spend quality time with his/her spouse.

The aim of the thesis is to examine what kind of interactivity emerges in communication that takes place in and through a radio programme's website chat called shoutbox. The focus of the research is on the communication between listeners and the staff of YleX. There is hardly any previous research of a communication medium like shoutbox. Thus the thesis concentrates on examining if the communication in and through shoutbox is interactive in any level. The research concerning interactivity has mainly focused on the interactivity between human and computer whereas this thesis concentrates on interactivity between humans: radio hosts and their listeners. The data consisted of ten broadcasts of the radio programme YleX Etusivu. Etusivu is a programme that concentrates on current issues. The hosts discuss subjects that Finns talk about at the moment. One programme lasts two hours so the data of the thesis consisted of 20 hours of broadcasts. The material was recorded from the internet. The recordings included the audio of the broadcasts and video of the shoutbox in which the messages from the listeners were shown. Video also contained live web camera feed from the studio. The theory used in the research was Rafaeli's (1988) theory of interactivity. There are three kinds of interactivity in the theory: quasi-interactivity, interactivity and non-interactivity. These three concepts were used in the analysis. The method used in the analysis was content analysis. The result of the research was that the interactivity in and through shoutbox between listeners and hosts was mainly quasi-interactive. Further research for the shoutbox could be conducted for examining the experiences and opinions of listeners and hosts on using shoutbox and the purpose of the medium.

This study has been started with my observation in the early childhood education where I have worked as a kindergarten teacher in a group of children aged 1-3 years. I have noticed often how different the toddlers are and how important it is for a toddler to be with other children. I have been amazed how good the toddlers are in their interaction even if they have smaller vocabulary than older children. The aim of the study is to explain and understand the interaction between toddlers in the context of the early childhood education. Additionally, the aim of the study is to find out how the temperament of toddlers is seen in the peer relationships. In this mixed methods case study, the source material consists of video and temperament material from ten toddlers. Parents evaluated the temperament of their toddler by using the Early Childhood Behaviour Questionnaire. The material is collected from two groups of children aged 1 to 4 who represent two municipal kindergartens in the metropolitan area. The research material has been collected as part of the Toddler Research in LASSO research project at the University of Helsinki. 33 separate interaction episodes were identified in the video material and classified according to different play modes. 23 episodes included play. The statistical IBM SPSS Statistics 24 was used for quantitative temperament analysis. Various variables describing different temperament characteristics were generated from the matrix obtained from the temperament questionnaires, calculated from the child-specific and mean matrix mean values. In the kindergarten the interaction between toddlers appeared mostly as playful interaction during the free activities of the day. In addition to the play, the peer interaction of toddlers emerged in those situations where a child watched other children's play from a site or where he/she was interacting with another child, by gaze and / or by speech. Toddlers made a lot of initiatives for the each other to start an interaction. The initiatives were for example touch, transition beside a friend and start to run. The temperament of the toddler was seen in the interaction between toddlers. The emergence of different temperaments in peer interaction shows that children's peer interaction is influenced by the temperament of the child alongside linguistic and cognitive factors. Early education teachers would benefit from the study of temperamental knowledge in order to distinguish the child's temperament from her cognitive ability.

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on kuvailla opettajan ja oppilaan välistä vuorovaikutusta käsityötunnilla. Aihetta on tutkittu suhteellisen vähän. Aiemmat tutkimukset osoittavat, että käsityö on lähtökohtaisesti vuorovaikutteinen oppiaine, ja että käsityön oppiminen ei ole mahdollista ilman vuorovaikutusta.Erityisen tärkeää käsityötaidon opetuksessa ja oppimisessa ovat opettajan keholliset vihjeet. Tutkimus keskittyykin opetustilanteen kehollisiin ulottuvuuksiin. Kehollisuutta vuorovaikutuksessa lähestytään sosiokulttuurisesta näkökulmasta. Tutkimuskysymykset muotoutuivat aineiston ja teorian vuorovaikutuksessa. Aineistosta erottui kolme teemaa, joiden perusteella tutkimuskysymykset muodostuivat: 1. Millä tavoin opettajan ja oppilaan vuorovaikutus rakentuu opetustilanteessa? 2. Millä tavoin kehollisuus ilmenee vaatteen valmistusprosessissa? 3. Millä tavoin fyysiset materiaalit ja työvälineet välittävät tietoa? Tutkimus toteutettiin videografisena tutkimuksena. Videoaineisto kerättiin vaiheittain keväällä 2013 pääkaupunkiseudun peruskoulussa. Tutkimukseen videoitiin yhdeksää seitsemäsluokkalaista tyttöä ja heidän opettajaansa käsityötunneilla. Aineistoa kertyi 4 tuntia ja 52 minuuttia. Aineiston analyysiin sovellettiin tulkinnallista lähestymistapaa, jossa korostuu sosiaalisten tilanteiden merkitysten rakentuminen ja tutkijan tulkinta tapahtumista. Tulosten esittämisessä sovelletaan keskustelunanalyyttisiä menetelmiä puheen litteroinnissa. Litterointia tukevat kuvat. Opettajan ja oppilaan välinen vuorovaikutus opetustilanteessa on todellista parityöskentelyä kohti yhteisymmärrystä. Tuloksissa kuvaillaan millä tavoin opettaja havainnollistaa opetettavaa asiaa eleillään sekä miten opettajan ja oppilaan kehot rakentavat yhteistä osallistumisen kehikkoa. Opettajan eleiden käyttö on erityisen tärkeää toimittaessa oppilaan lähikehityksen vyöhykkeellä. Tuloksissa osoitetaan myös miten oppilas osoittaa ymmärrystä kehollaan sekä millä tavoin käsityöluokan työvälineet välittävät kulttuurista tietoa.

The topic of this study was the career and the production of Kaarina Kellomäki as a fabric designer of Marimekko. The purpose of this study was to create a picture of Kaarina Kellomäki as a person and a fabric designer and to describe the work of the designer both on a general level and from the viewpoint of Marimekko, too. The study created a picture of the history of Marimekko, especially of its phases in the 1960s, when Kellomäki worked in the company. Reproduction of Kellomäki's prints, rich in the 2000s, was a significant part of this study. The 1960s and its most important phenomena functioned as the background information of this study. The data of this study primarily consisted of the information that was gathered by interviewing Kaarina Kellomäki in the springs 2012 and 2015. To complement these interviews, a theme interview was carried out with Mika Piirainen. His work and ideas as a fashion designer of Marimekko caused the reproduction of Kaarina Kellomäki's prints at the beginning of the 2000s. Minna Kemell-Kutvonen, Marimekko's Design Director, was involved in the interview. The archive data that I received from Designmuseum and Marimekko's archives in Herttoniemi supported the information of the interviews. There is no prior research on Kellomäki's career. This one was a case study, and for analyzing the data, the methods of the visual analysis and contextualizing were used. The career of Kaarina Kellomäki as a fashion designer of Marimekko continued less than a year, from the autumn 1965 to the spring 1966. In its shortness, it was in many ways a very significant time. The production of Kaarina Kellomäki in Marimekko consists of nine print patterns. In addition, she designed two patterns that were not produced. All the eleven patterns were designed in 1965-1966. Reproduction is a significant part of the career of Kaarina Kellomäki in Marimekko. It began in 2003, when Mika Piirainen chose Linssi-pattern to become reproduced in fashion designing. Since then, the reproduction has been rich and it has been important for the designer herself. During her career, Kellomäki become well known both as a fabric designer, a teacher of the University of Arts, Design and as a textile artist. The work period of Kaarina Kellomäki in Marimekko ended because of the designer's desire to get more freedom on the one hand and more limits on the other hand. The young designer wished to have more systematic guidance in her own job. The job of the designer in Marimekko was independent but only a small amount of patterns was yearly produced. The job as a freelancer that Kaarina Kellomäki adopted for several decades after her year in Marimekko, was more appropriate for the designer. The desire to remain as an independent artist and not to work in the midst of strong artist personalities was part of her longing for freedom.