Browsing by discipline "Erityispedagogiikka"

Attention is an essential part of learning and academical performance. At the moment attention is being assessed mainly by subjective evaluations. Attention Concentration Test pursues to measure attention objectively on the basis of Inhibition Theory. The aim of this thesis was to examine the connection between success in Attention Concentration test and success in visuospatial working memory task. Previous studies imply that functions of attention and working memory are tightly connected. In this thesis, visuospatial working memory test worked as a reference meter to attention. The thesis is a part of a broader Helsinki University Centre for Educational Assessments study which examined ACT-tests usability and ability to identify pupils with significant attentional problems. The thesis studied also genders, mother tongue and receiving intensified and special supports connections with attention and working memory. In addition, the thesis researched what factors predict success in Attention Concentration Test. The study was attended by 159 third grade pupils from four different schools located in Helsinki region. The data was collected between November 2016 and January 2017 at the schools. The tests were completed by computer over one session. The data was analysed by quantitative methods examining correlations and using One-Way Analysis of Variance and Mann-Whitney tests on purpose of finding distinctions between different groups. Furthermore, it was endeavored to create a model that would explain success in Attention Concentration Test using Regression Analysis. Examining the whole material only a weak connection was found between success in Attention Concentration test and success in visuospatial working memory task. Examining the data by gender a medium connection was found with boys. With girls, a connection wasn't found. Girls were more accurate than boys in Attention Concentration Test, but boys were faster than girls in working memory task. Non-Finnish-speaking boys and students receiving intensified and special support succeeded more poorly than other students in both tests. Due to small correlations, a model explaining success in Attention Concentration Test could not be formed.

Aims The first aim of the research was to analyze conflictsituations in the comprehensive school. In the process of the analyzing I focused into conflicts in the multiprofessional teamwork. The second aim belongs to the multiprofessional teamwork: descript the building process of the multiprofessional teamwork and the special teachers attitude in the prosess of development a multiprofessional teamwork. Methods The material of the research is a document written by special teachers. In the analyzing the material I used qualitative methods. Results and conclusions I found four groups of conflict situations in the material: conflicts in own professionalism, in the multi-professional teamwork, in the contact with the pupils and in the contact with the pupils family. Group of conflict situations in the multi-professional teamwork was the biggest group. The multi-professional teamwork is built in three steps: step before multi-professional teamwork, meeting the members of the team and adaptation to the team. Before the multi-professional teamwork special teachers reflect the own role and the members responsibility in the teamwork, the own development as a member of the team and the own opinions about other members and about members way to do the teamwork. In this step special teachers want to develop the own skills of communication, and the teamwork. In the step of meeting the other members of the team special teachers reflect the other members opinion and way to work in the team and the differences between the own and the others opinion and way to work. The special teachers reflect too how much they want to do teamwork now and in the future. In the step of adaptation to the team special teachers reflect the goals of teamwork, the ways to work in the team, the polarization of the commitment and the responsibility in the teamwork. The special teachers opinions about the teamwork and the team members are getting better in the process of the building the teamwork from the step before teamwork to the step adaptation to the teamwork. But first, the special teachers opinion is getting worse in the step of meeting the members. Special teachers wants a lot to develop the teamwork in all steps of building the multi-professional teamwork, and it is getting better in all steps. My conclusion in this research is that it is possible to develop the attitude in the multi-professional teamwork by talking about the goals, the values and the ways to work in the team, by getting know each other and by focusing to the facts in our teamwork.

The aim of this study was to examine the L2 learner identity of upper secondary school 1st year students. The starting point of the study was to get an overall picture of how students describe themselves as L2 learners and what meanings they give to their experiences related to language learning. In addition, the factors that guide students' language learning were investigated. The material was collected as students' essays on the topic “I as a foreign language learner”. In total, there were 41 essays in the research material. The content was analyzed by means of a narrative approach. The theoretical background is both a sociocultural view of learning and an ecological concept of language learning, which focuses on learners' identities and motives. According to the research results, students were able to honestly and openly analyze the features related to their own language learner identity and also to identify their own learning strategies and the factors that affect their study and learning. Motivation and maintaining motivation became the most important factors influencing learning and studying, as also previous studies have shown. Motivation was especially influenced by the grades and received feedback, finding the language learning situations and opportunities meaningful and interesting, the support and help available in problem situations, and the experience of being considered as an individual even in a large group. Self-efficacy beliefs were also important factors in learning. Most students also had clear insights into how their own learning could be improved and made more effective, but these ideas were not used in their own work. There could be a wide range of problems in studying in several areas of language learning, and students ’ability to use the right kind of strategies seemed deficient. Through the essays, it became clear that a negative image of oneself as a learner is created very easily and same person’s L2 learner identity can vary greatly between different languages. The study found that many students need strong and ongoing support and assistance in building their own language learner identity so that, for example, a possible cycle of negativity could be broken early. Equally, those who are successful in their studies need encouragement and guidance. It is good for the teacher to be aware of the different language learner identities of the students and also to try to influence these identities constructively.

Study delay has been considered a challenge within the vocational education, and the dropout rate is much higher than in college. Limited knowledge of the choices within upper secondary education may lead to an unfitted choice of education which for one may hold up the graduation. The main objective of this masters’ thesis was to find out which factors might hold up the graduation in vocational education. The aim is to examine what are the differences between the students who graduated in time and the students whose studies were considered delayed. The interest was also in finding out which factors are the best to explain whether the studies were delayed or not. The study delay is looked through motivation, the grade point average of theoretical studies in the last year of lower secondary education, sex, native language, mother’s education and special support received in lower secondary education. The research data was part of a research done in collaboration by the University of Helsinki, the University of Tampere, the National Board of Education and the Centre of Educational Assessment. The participants of this study consisted of 6277 vocational education students in the Helsinki Metropolitan area. The research data was collected during year 2014 when the students were in the last year of lower secondary education and in year 2017, three years after the beginning of vocational education. The results discovered differences in special support, native language and motivation between the groups of students who graduated in time and the students whose studies were considered delayed. There was an increased amount of study delay within the students who received special support in lower secondary education and the students whose native language was other than Finnish or Swedish. According to this study, receiving special support in lower secondary education was the most significant factor to explain the detainment of studies. In this study, there was no connection found between study delay and the grade point average of theoretical subjects in the last year of lower secondary education.

Aims. The purpose of this follow-up study (Pesonen, Itkonen, Nislin, 2017) was to analyse how autism-spectrum disorder is represented in leading newspapers in Finland. The disorder is frequently perceived in rather negative light in media. Medical approach focusing on symptoms, diagnosis and treatment has been prevailing. The goals of this study were on one hand to broaden, on the other hand to deepen examination of the phenomenon focusing on representation of autism-spectrum in mass media. The study examines what perceptions of the disorder, education and learning are highligted in newspapers and how educational legislative reforms and development projects are represented in news regarding autism-spectrum disorder. Theoretical framework is based on inclusive education, social model of disability and medicalisation. Methods. The research material consisted of the three leading newspapers’ digital articles on the disorder found with the search word ”autism” during the period 1995─2017. Altogether 456 articles were identified; out of which 109 pieces were included into the education and learning category establishing the core research material. The research period was initiated prior to the Basic Education Law 628/1998 when all students regardless of the forms of support were transferred to mainstream education. The research methods were content analysis and framing analysis frequently applied in media studies. Results and Conclusions. In the research analysis news articles were placed in thematic categories that were teaching arrangements, learning, societal structures, working life, rehabilitation and accessibility. Majority of the articles focused on rehabilitation and teaching arrangements and minority on accessibility. Across the data focus was on medical aspects instead of inclusive or social model of disability. Articles did not report to a large degree on educational law reforms or special education development projects.

Aim: So far, most of the cognitive neuroscience studies investigating the development of brain activity in childhood have made comparisons between different age groups and ignored the individual stage of cognitive development. Given the wide variation in the rate of cognitive development, this study argues that chronological age alone cannot explain the developmental changes in brain activity. This study demonstrates how Piaget's theory and information on child's individual stage of development can complement the age-related evaluations of brain oscillatory activity. In addition, the relationship between cognitive development and working memory is investigated. Method: A total of 33 children (17 11-year-olds, 16 14-year-olds) participated in this study. The study consisted of behavioural tests and an EEG experiment. Behavioral tests included two Piagetian tasks (the Volume and Density task, the Pendulum task) and Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices task. During EEG experiment, subjects performed a modified version of the Sternberg's memory search paradigm which consisted of an auditorily presented memory set of 4 words and a probe word following these. The EEG data was analyzed using the event-related desynchronization / synchronization (ERD/ERS) method. The Pendulum task was used to assess the cognitive developmental stage of each subject and to form four groups based on age (11- or 14-year-olds) and cognitive developmental stage (concrete or formal operational stage). Group comparisons between these four groups were performed for the EEG data. Results and conclusions: Both age- and cognitive stage-related differences in brain oscillatory activity were found between the four groups. Importantly, age-related changes similar to those reported by previous studies were found also in this study, but these changes were modified by developmental stage. In addition, the results support a strong link between working memory and cognitive development by demonstrating differences in memory task related brain activity and cognitive developmental stages. Based on these findings it is suggested that in the future, comparisons of development of brain activity should not be based only on age but also on the individual cognitive developmental stage.

Fraction knowledge is central for daily activities, such as cooking and personal finance, but many students have difficulty with fractions. Fraction knowledge has been found to predict later mathematical performance in comprehensive school. Virtual manipulatives (VM) and concrete manipulatives (CM) are effective approaches to teaching fractions, but previous research has not been able to reach a consensus on which manipulatives are the most effective. This quasi-experimental study employed a pre- and post-test design to investigate the differential effects of VM and CM in a fraction intervention on students’ fraction skills. In addition to fraction skills, students’ arithmetical fluency was measured. Fidelity of intervention, social validity and time-efficiency of the manipulatives were also investigated. Fourth and fifth grade participants (N = 115) from Southern Finland were assigned to VM and CM intervention groups. The intervention was implemented during six 45-minute lessons over two weeks. Lesson contents were the same for both groups in spite of the manipulative. Results revealed that the CM group outperformed the VM group in fraction skills, which suggests that CM should be favored in fraction interventions. Additional implications for research and practice are discussed.

The study deals with non-productive activities in the primary school context as experienced by teaching staff. At the center of the teaching staff's experience has been a non-productive student. The study material consists of 87 responses, of which 63 were selected for this study. The material was collected during the CICO (check in, check out) training in autumn 2017 and spring 2018. The responses of these study were analyzed by data-based qualitative content analysis. The theoretical part of the study is linked to the definitions of students' non-productive behavior, the school's non- productive studies in general and the ecological classroom model. The method of data analysis has been influenced by Hood's (2007) generic inductive qualitative research model (IQRM). The study emphasizes the subjective experiences of the teaching staff on students' non-productive behaviors, with the emergence of other non-productive themes in the school context. The research results formed the model of the teaching staff's experiences of non-productive activities in primary school. The aim of this study was also to provide information that could help to increase the understanding of the phenomenon of non-productivity to the needs of the elementary school teaching staff in general. According to the results of the research, teachers' experiences of pupils' non-productive behavior at primary school were related not only to the students' own activities but also to the teaching staff, school culture, caregivers and school stakeholders. In addition, the background factors related to the non- productive and productive activities of the school were mapped. Pupils' unproductive behavior seems to be well known to the teaching staff in the school context. Although the phenomenon is recognized and other factors related to the school context can be identified, schools should consider, among other things, what proactive and collaborative interventions for non- productive behavior of pupils would be good to develop.

Goals. The purpose of the thesis was to find out the professional development of already em-ployed teachers studying to become special teachers, “more than as teachers”. As a back-ground theory, I look at teaching, the profession and career of a teacher, especially from the perspective of a special education teacher. The aim of this research was to find out why an already qualified teacher wants to go to study special education, what are the goals for study-ing and how those goals were achieved. Since it is possible to train as a special education teacher both as a degree student and by completing separate special education teacher´s studies, the research also looked at the difference between the two study methods. Methods. The research was carried out as a qualitative interview. The informants were kin-dergarten teachers, classroom teachers or vocational teachers who studied special education as master’s degree students, completed separate special education studies, or studied spe-cial education at the Open University. The interviews were supplemented with an email sur-vey. The interviews were transcribed and the material was analyzed by content analysis. Results and conclusions. The development of teachers into special educational teachers was described by two paths, which were “alternative” and “goal”. The “alternative” path was the choice of students majoring in special education as a Master of Education, and they had not specifically pursued the teaching profession but rather drifted into teaching. Those who com-pleted separate special education studies were on the “goal” path and were already oriented to the field of education after their secondary education. The special education studies aimed at eligibility and competence for the position of special education teacher, community spirit and knowledge and understanding of meeting special needs students in school. Studies in special education were found to be useful, although there is room for improvement in their or-ganization and practical implementation. Informants saw master’s studies in special educa-tion and separate special needs teacher studies as an important part of professional growth and development.

Objectives. There has been a wide range of international studies of self-esteem between students in regular classes and special classes. However, research has yielded conflicting results. Some studies report lower self-esteem levels among students in special classes, while others note no differences. Throughout the history of research on self-esteem, there have been concerns that the concept was poorly defined and there were a large number of self-esteem instruments poorly correlating with one another. The purpose of this study is to compare the self-esteem of students in special classes and in regular classes in four secondary schools in grades 7 through 9 in the city of Espoo. Along with the global self-esteem also academic, social and physical domains of self-esteem are studied. The difference in self-esteem between the students with and without special educational needs in regular classes is also studied and compared with the students in special classes. The difference in self-esteem between the genders and the grade levels is compared and the equivalence of the two self-esteem measures is analysed. Methods. The data was collected between November 2018 and February 2019 in four secondary schools in Espoo. Self-esteem was assessed with two different self-esteem measures, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale (RSE) and the State Self-Esteem scale (SSES) among 148 students. The participants included 97 students in regular classes and 51 students in special classes. 17 students in regular classes had special education needs. All the students in special education classes were classified as having learning disabilities. Results and Conclusions. Results indicate that there is no difference in general self-esteem between students in regular and special classes. No difference was found with either selfesteem measures. Neither was there any difference in self-esteem between the students in special classes, the students with special education needs (SEN) in regular classes and the students without special education needs (non-SEN) in regular classes. However, the students in special classes had higher global self-esteem (RSE) in the 9th grade than the students in regular classes. Differences in domain-specific self-esteem were also found. Both the students in special classes and the SEN students in regular classes scored higher in social domain of self-esteem than the non-SEN students in regular classes. The SEN students in regular classes also scored higher than the other two groups in physical domain of self-esteem. The difference in self-esteem between genders was obvious and statistically significant: the boys had higher self-esteem scores than girls with both scales. However, as different grades were compared, the only statistically significant difference between genders was found with the seventh-graders. The correlation of the two self-esteem measures was high and statistically significant.