Browsing by Author "Jokinen, Sara"

Vocational education in Finland has gone through major changes due the reform of vocational education and training and Vocational Education and Training Act (2017/531). Students’ right to receive special support in their studies has created new obligations to both education system and teachers. This study is a part of Learner’s right – teacher’s skill project which is funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The project develops teacher education within the themes of special support and multiprofessional guidance. This particular study examines what the learning support provided by teachers in a vocational school consists of, what factors influence teachers' ability to provide learning support, and how teachers develop their own skills in meeting the students’ need for special support. This study is a qualitative master’s thesis, where the target group was 29 vocational school teachers or other employees from one vocational school in Helsinki metropolitan area. The research material was collected through group interviews and questionnaires. The research material was analyzed by content analysis. Based on the results of this study, a model of teacher-provided learning support was formed. The model consists of three components, namely social support, learning support and community support. Teachers' ability to support their students was influenced by e.g. the circumstances of the institution, such as financial resources, and personal competence, which included teachers' experience of their own skills and the limits of their profession. Teachers developed their professional skills with the support of the community and through experience. More training was considered desirable, but challenges arose in applying the knowledge and theory gained from the training to practice. The overall picture of the results can be used to find the ways which teachers need to support students in their studies, and how teachers can develop their own skills as identifiers and supporters of the students’ need for support. The overall picture can also help teachers in their professional development on supporting students, as well as guide educational institutions to guide educational institutions to consider support measures in their teaching.