Browsing by master's degree program "Master´s Programme in Education"
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(2023)This study examines the learning of children aged 0-6 from the perspective of parents. The aim of the study was to explore parents' views on their child's learning and how they perceive their own role in supporting learning. In terms of learning, I focused on parents' views on the importance of different skills. Promoting the learning of preschool-age children typically falls under the responsibility of parents and early childhood education, so the study also surveyed parents' thoughts on the role of early childhood education in their child's learning. Parents' perspectives on learning have been limitedly studied in recent years. However, parents play a significant role as supporters of their child's learning, and early childhood is an important stage for learning. During early childhood, comprehensive development and learning occur rapidly, laying the foundation for future learning pathways. The study was conducted as quantitative research. The data for the study was collected through an online survey in February 2023 via the Norstat research company's consumer panel. The respondents were 410 parents of 0-6-year-old children. The data analysis is descriptive, and the methods used include percentage distributions as descriptive measures. The research is part of a broader customer understanding project by Sanoma Pro. A key finding is that parents consider their child's learning to be highly important and perceived their own role as strong supporters of learning. Supporting learning is seen as a clear part of parents' parenting responsibility. The results show that parents engaged with their children in learning various skills extensively. Socio-emotional skills are perceived as the most important skills regardless of the child's age. Although parents feel responsible for their child's learning, they also recognize the important role of early childhood education. However, the current resource challenges in early childhood education raise concerns among parents that may have impact on a child's learning and well-being, posing new challenges and pressures for parents.
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(2022)The aim of this master's thesis was to study the childhood food memories of 67-76-year-olds. In the first theoretical part of my dissertation I deal with food culture, its formation and the factors that shape it. I write about the history of Finnish food culture since 1945 and the journey towards the current state of Finnish food culture. In the second part of the theory, I write about food memories, previous studies of childhood food memories in Finland and childhood eating habits. My dissertation becomes part of home economics food research, because it deals with Finnish food culture, food memories, cooking skills, food service and even the history of Finnish families' daily lives. My research questions were: How childhood food memories are perceived? Who or what is involved? And in what ways do childhood memories appear in a person’s life at a later age? I did not make hypotheses or presuppositions, as I wanted interview material to speak for itself. The study was conducted as a qualitative study. The research material was collected through pair interviews involving people aged 67–76 years. The subjects were siblings and all of the interviewees were born and have spent their childhoods mainly in the cities of southern Finland. The interviewees were selected at discretion. They have lived their childhoods during the greatest food culture changes in Finland in the last hundred years. The interviews were collected as semi-structured thematic interviews, and the collected material was transcribed, themed and analyzed by means of material-based content analysis. The results of the study show that the role of the mother was the most important in childhood food memories, but the father and grandmother also play a major role in them. Food memories strongly reflected the spirit of the period studied, such as the availability of food, the possibilities of choice, the appreciation of food, Finnish food culture and the social situation. Childhood food memories perceived as positive and negative. Negative food memories are often ignored and there are less negative food memories than positive. There are a lot of positive food memories and they evoke nice and warm thoughts and feelings. In addition to the people, the sensory experiences were emphasized in the food memories. Of the sensory memories, the experiences related to the sense of smell and taste were the most pronounced, but the appearance of the food also affected the attractiveness of the food. The results of my research are largely consistent with previous research. The purpose of the study was to store unique and important Finnish food memorabilia that contain valuable information about history, create an understanding of the present and strengthen the field of home economics research.
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(2022)Goals. The aim of this thesis was to examine the relationship between the assessments made on the teacher rating scale and the results of the direct measures of language development when assessing 4-year-old children’s language skills. The second aim was to find out how well early educators identify 4-year-old children who are at risk and those not at risk for language skills when using the teacher rating scale. Previous research has shown that form-based assessment tools are considered practical and efficient ways to assess children’s early language skills. The accuracy and consistency of the assessments have not been thoroughly investigated. This thesis will provide information on whether early educators identify those children who are at greater risk for language problems than their peers. Early identification is important to targeting the right kind of support. Methods. This study is a quantitative Master’s thesis. The research data included the results of the Lene and the Lukiva tests and the assessments made on the teacher rating scale for 4-year-old children (N=189) obtained in the initial sample of the Toimi ja opi research in 2019. The relationship between the assessments made on the teacher rating scale and the results of direct measures of language development was examined using Spearman’s and Pearson’s correlation analyses. The ability of early educators to identify 4-year-old children who are at risk and those not at risk for language skills was examined through configural frequency analysis. IBM SPSS Statistics 27 and Excel were used for data analysis. Results and conclusions. The results of the Master’s thesis showed a moderate and statistically significant relationship between the assessments made on the teacher rating scale and the direct measures of language development. The strongest connection was measured between the teacher rating scale and the Lene’s language comprehension test. The results also showed that the early educators were able to identify those 4-years-old children who are at risk and those not at risk for language skills when using the teacher rating scale. The findings show that the teacher rating scale is a viable tool for early educators to assess children’s language skills and to identify those who are at risk for language problems.
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(2023)The aim of this study was to shine light to ADHD as a phenomenom in a teachers career. Hypothesis was that a teacher can have ADHD but it doesn’t make a teacher unqualified. This study focused on key themes of ADHD which were hardships, compensation or alleviation of these hardships and strengths in a teacher’s career. Research shows that ADHD can cause hardships but it is also possible to affect these hardships with certain actions (Lehtokoski, 2004, 75−78; Nadeau, 2005, 550; Adler & Florence, 2006, 41−42; Michelsson ym,. 2004, 21 & 93). Research also states that ADHD can also be a strength, which means that it is important for an ADHD individual to find a job that fits those personal ADHD related traits (Hansen, 2017, 13 & 114; Michelsson ym., 2004, 93). Research question was to find out how teachers experience their professional identity and teacherhood and which hardships and strengths they experience in their career as a teacher because of ADHD diagnosis. This study was executed by interviewing seven teachers from varying levels of education with means of semi-structured interview. Answers in these interviews were analysed with means of qualitative content analysis. Results of this study consisted of many experiences about teacherhood and a teacher’s professional identity from teachers who have ADHD diagnosis. Experiences about teacherhood and teachers’ professional identity were in line with earlier research about teacherhood. Although in this study the teachers emphasized a bit more on humanity and understanding as part of teacherhood and related personality traits. ADHD can affect the working of a teacher via hardships as well as strengths. Teachers brought up many different hardships, compensation methods and strengths related to ADHD. For example, hardships with time management and memory were brought up in these interviews. These for example can be alleviated by using a calendar and other sources of written reminders of important things. The use of ADHD medication was also mentioned in some form on most interviews. ADHD related strengths were linked to more humane and understanding approach to students, creativity, efficiency, increase of neuropsychiatric knowledge and curious or enthusiastic lifestyle. ADHD affects a teachers work, but it most certainly does not mean, that the teacher would face big problems in his or her career because of ADHD. It is important that a teacher with ADHD finds his own best way to do things and to find out his or her strengths as well as to utilize them. In this way a teacher can succeed in their line of work despite of their hardships. ADHD related traits or attributes do not define an individual, its more about how they can be utilized and alleviated via different solutions in work related environment, if needed.
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(2023)This thesis focuses on supporting the schooling and learning of an ADHD student from the point of view of special needs teachers and special class teachers. The aim of the study is to find out how the student ADHD appears at school and what support measures have been targeted at it. The study is also interested in how the three-tier support responds to the needs of the ADHD-symptom student. The research is of a qualitative nature. The material was collected through an interview. Two special teachers and three special class teachers from the Southern Finland region were interviewed. The expectation was that interviewees have a lot of experience in meeting a child with ADHD symptoms. The method of analysis of the data was content analysis. Descriptions of special- and special-class teachers from ADHD-symptoms students are suitable for literature symptoms; there were also a lot of positive expressions. The support of the ADHD-symptom student formed three upper classes of pedagogical activity in the learning environment, interaction and structure and self-management. These formed the comprehensive support of the student in the section. The three-step support for the research issue consisted of three upper classes: guardians, multiprofessionalism and pedagogical documents. The interviewees considered these classes to be the most important forms of three-tier support.
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(2023)Tiivistelmä - Referat – Abstract Objectives. The aim of this thesis was to describe, analyze, and interpret how a collaborative virtual reality learning environment (VRLE) can provide opportunities to learn and practice work skills that promote student motivation and agency to learn. The research questions concerned how students perceived their agency and autonomy in different learning environments and how this affected their motivation, as well as the cognitive potential of the VR learning environment and how it promoted agency in learning. The study applied the Cognitive Affordances of Technologies Scale, CATS (Dabbagh, Conrad & Dass, 2010), designed to examine the cognitive potential of technology-supported learning environments (TSLEs) with a focus on the strengths and weaknesses of learning technologies in relation to the affordances in the environment. CATS was developed with the aim to help in improving the cognitive design of TSLEs to support purposeful and meaningful learner activities and learning interactions. Methods. The study involved 14 students participating in a forest machine course at Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences. The students studied both in the VR learning environment and in the traditional learning environment. A mixed-method ethnographic case study approach (Torres Colón, 2020) was used to combine rich qualitative data from on-site observations, interviews, and video observations to complement quantitative data. The aim was to provide a better understanding of the research problems than using either approach alone. In this study, the approach was a pragmatic combination of methods (Seppänen-Järvelä, Åkerblad & Haapakoski, 2019), using all the methods that best enabled the research questions to be answered (triangulation). Results and conclusions. The main results showed that students generally rated their autonomy higher in VR groups than in physical groups, learning in a VR learning environment was meaningful and had a positive impact on students' motivation, and learning opportunities supported students' autonomy through meaningful teacher-student interaction and promoted student agency. A collaborative virtual learning environment, where teachers warmly regulate emotions through meaningful classroom interaction, can provide opportunities for learning and practicing work skills, thus promoting student motivation and agency. The VR environment was shown to provide opportunities for students to explore subjects that are interesting and meaningful to them, increasing students' intrinsic motivation. The teacher's role in supporting students' autonomy and agency is important, as students should be encouraged and guided to use the affordances of the VR environment. Teachers need to monitor, evaluate, and adapt different teaching methods to take advantage of the opportunities offered by technology. In the future, this may help teachers in post-secondary education and skills training and immersive virtual reality (VR) designers to further develop technology to enhance learning in VR.
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(2022)The aim of this study is to analyze how facilities and the role of time affect practises in coo-king and dining in the second home. The theoretical framework of this study is based on pre-vious studies of second home living and eating practices. It seems that the busy lifestyle causes reduction of time spent in cooking and eating together. On the other hand, previous studies also show that the second home living acts as a counterweight for busy citylife. The studies related to eating practices are mostly focused on everyday life while ingnoring the in-habitants of second homes. This study takes part to the discussion about second home living, cooking and dining by studying cooking and eating practises. In the previous studies this sub-ject has not been studied from this point of view. The study was executed by utilizing qualitative methods. A thematic interview was used for research material collection. The research material consists of twelve interviews of indivi-duals that spend regularly time in their second homes. The research material was analyzed in a material-based content analysis. The research results show that the more free opportunities to use time are a remarkable fac-tor in cooking and dining in the second home. The results also refer that there was time for cooking in the second home and the food was always prepared from ingredients if it was possible. Because of the conditions in the second home and to save time various methods are utilized to make cooking easier. The results show that there is a strive to dine together and without hurry in the second home. The results also tell of the meanings of cooking and dining in the second home. As a conclusion it can be said that the greater availability of time has a remarkable effect on cooking and dining practises in the second home. The results of this study can be used as guidelines for further studies on eating practices and their impor-tance in second home living.
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(2023)Aim. The goal of the study is to examine how pupils perceive the progression and the material challenges of technology education invention projects. These invention projects usually refer to multidisciplinary projects where pupils produce a concrete resolution to a problem they have chosen themselves by utilizing methods related to the field of technology education. These methods include co-operation, designing and programming which are also required in the curriculum. To illustrate the progression of the invention projects, different kinds of process models have been designed. A synthesis of these process models and Barlex's design-decision pentagon are used in the study to reflect on the material challenges of the pupils' invention projects and how the pupils responded to these challenges. Methods. The study was conducted by interviewing seven pupils who formed a total of three invention project groups. These pupils were a part of a robotics club, and they were aiming to compete in a robotics tournament hosted by the Innokas Network. These interview answers were analyzed using qualitative content analysis, and the pupils' descriptions were compared to the invention project process model and the Barlex's design-decision pentagon. Results. The pupils' descriptions of the invention projects featured different phases of the process model, although the differences between the phases were sometimes hard to discern. The pupils viewed the invention project process as very linear and described the process as forward-going even when they were backtracking in the process model. The material challenges the pupils encountered were related to both the programmable technology in the invention and the materials combined with the technology, such as cardboard and paper. Traditional crafts material wood was considered by one group, but textiles were not featured in any project. The motivations for the designing process were different between the groups, where one group was motivated by the aesthetic side of the invention and others by the function of the invention.
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(2022)The aim of this study was to examine and describe how principles, student counsellors and other school administrators in comprehensive school represent the school paths of immi-grant children in Finland. The aim is to analyse the challenges described by authorities that immigrant students face in the transition between comprehensive school and upper second-ary level, and to contemplate how immigrant backgrounds and class positions are connect-ed to each other. In addition, the aim is to consider how social mobility of immigrants should be improved through different ways of support and guidance. Previous studies show that people with immigration backgrounds are still often excluded from secondary education and especially from high school in Finland. The expansion of compulsory school age obliges every child to move on to the secondary level, but especially with poor Finnish knowledge and weak social and cultural capital it is challenging coping with secondary level studies. In the centre of the theoretical framework of this study are Pierre Bourdieau’s forms of capital. The study was conducted as a qualitative content analysis and the data for the study con-sisted of interviews with eight authorities working in Finnish primary schools with pupils with immigration backgrounds. The data was analyzed and classified by means of thematic con-tent analysis. According to the findings, the challenges of school paths and transitions among students with immigration backgrounds include the extensive lack of cultural and social capital in fami-lies in relation to the context of the Finnish middle-class school system. Furthermore, the views of the families and of the school on realistic school options often differ. The joint appli-cation system does not encourage the student to change school after the first choice and experiment, and therefore people with immigration backgrounds are particularly challenged by choice and unknown educational opportunities. According to the results, Finland does not yet have a clear tailored system for immigrant children who move to Finland and who have passed the primary school age. They are ex-pected a quicker takeover of language and syllabus than other children. In addition, high school education appears to be inaccessible to many people with immigration backgrounds, according to authorities. In vocational training, resources for specific language and integra-tion support are insufficient, leading to the fact that after finishing vocational studies, they are moving to employment with low capacity.
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(2022)Tiivistelmä - Referat - Abstract Objectives. The goal of this thesis was to examine, what are the prerequisites for building be-longing from the point of view of children who need significant support in early childhood education, and what concrete actions are used to build this belonging. This was clarified by interviews with early childhood education professionals. The aim of this research is to produce new information and bring out the "silent knowledge" in the field of early childhood education through the joint speech of the discussants. The frame of reference in this research, is in early childhood education and with children who need significant support, and in building their belonging. The research opens up the concept of inclusion as a central principle guiding ear-ly childhood education. The concept of inclusion is essentially related to the concept of be-longing. With the help of current legislation and studies, the research opens up how to organize the support a child needs in early childhood education. In the theoretical framework, the child's participation, the politics of belonging and the means by which belonging can be built, are discussed. Methods. This thesis was inspired by a project called VAKA-TUVET, that aimed to increase awareness of significant support in early childhood education. The research material was collected with two focus group interviews and one individual interview from nine special teachers of early childhood education. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the interview material. With the help of the analysis, the data was loosely connected to the theoretical framework. Results and conclusions. From the results, it could be concluded that formation of belonging is a changing process, that must be consciously built and constantly evaluated through joint discussions. From the point of view of children in need of significant support, the inclusive culture of the work community was seen as a key. Taking individuality into account and re-moving obstacles is seen as an everyday matter in such a community. In discussions in teams, the importance of belonging to the child must be opened up, and information about the support required must be shared. In these discussions, a plan must be made on how to build belonging in everyday situations. Belonging was seen to be built in everyday life from individual solutions where the needs of all children are taken into account, keeping in mind the overall picture in terms of belonging. The sensitive and multidimensional role of professionals as builders of belonging of the children in need of significant support, and of the entire group, was felt to be essential. In concrete everyday situations, belonging was built with material actions, the pedagogical practices of the group, and the functional actions of professionals, which guided children to connect with others. In the linguistic actions of the professionals, speech that builds community was emphasized, as well as the creation of barrier-free opportunities for communication. The results are largely consistent with previous results, the importance of sensitive professionals who build belonging was highlighted and belonging should be built consciously in everyday life. It was felt that more information is needed about significant support, this information can increase understanding. Based on the data, the joy and absorption of work emerges, which can be experienced at work among children who need significant support. This requires properly sized resources and an operating culture that builds belonging. Diversity and the individual needs of children can be a wealth for the whole group.
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(2022)The aim of this study is to examine how much other than Finnish or Finnish as a second language subject teachers use literature education in multidisciplinary teaching and how much they collaborate with Finnish or Finnish as a second language teachers. Previous studies show that while teachers attach great importance to multidisciplinary teaching, cross-subject collaboration requires a lot of extra work from teachers. Research shows that reading literature is holistically linked to the better performance of pupils at school. This study provides information on how much teachers cooperate in literature and what kind of collaboration is. The investigation will also examine the reasons why there is no cooperation. The data of this study have been based on the Finnish and Swedish responses of the survey data sent to other subject teachers in the Lukuklaani project, which received 611 answers. Among the answers to the survey sent to other subject teachers, I looked at the questions that had been used to investigate the literary education carried out by subject teachers. With regard to the answers to closed questions, I examined qualitative indicators and open answers through qualitative content analysis. The results of my research showed that the other subject teachers use very little of literary education in their teaching. In multidisciplinary learning modules, literary education was used as an upwardly differentiated material and in deepening the knowledge of the subject through non-fiction. The reason why literature education was not utilised was that the subject taught by the subject teacher was not involved in the school's multidisciplinary teaching, or that multidisciplinary learning modules were limited. Subject teachers cooperated with Finnish or Finnish as a second language teachers most often every academic year or less often. Closer cooperation was less common. Cooperation was carried out in the teaching of multidisciplinary learning entities, the teaching and evaluation of writing and literacy, language maintenance, expressive skills and the organization of school parties. The reason for the lack of cooperation was the unwillingness of Finnish teachers and the lack of time. The study shows that subject teachers do quite a bit of multidisciplinary cooperation, but do not express a reluctance to cooperate.
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(2023)Household chores are an important part of household functioning. Their significance is also examined in the perspective of household production. Domestic work upbringing, however, has been studied only marginally and no definition of the concept of domestic work upbringing was found in previous scholarly publications. However, previous scientific publications suggest that household chores have an educational dimension. This thesis fills this identified knowledge gap and examines the practices and educational principles of mothers' domestic work upbringing. Additionally, it explores the goals that mothers aim to achieve through the domestic work upbringing they provide. The data for this qualitative study was collected through an online questionnaire. The online questionnaire was open on a Facebook group ‘ÄiTyLIt’ for two weeks in March 2023. The online questionnaire for parents of children under 12 years of age consisted primarily of open-ended questions. The survey data includes 214 mothers' responses, which I have analyzed by means of theoretical content analysis. Atlas.ti analysis software was used to assist the analysis. The mothers' practices and educational principles of domestic work upbringing were di-verse. They can be categorized as child-centered, functional, verbal, time-based and reward-based practices and principles. In addition, some mothers reported using a chore list or a reward chart as a tool for domestic work upbringing. Many mothers reported that they consider the age and skill level of the child, as well as the child's own desire, enthusiasm or personality when raising a child to do household chores. Plenty of the mothers in this study did housework together with their children. This was often based on routine and a desire for an equal division of labor. Furthermore, many mothers praised, encouraged and thanked their children for doing household chores. The aims of domestic work upbringing were mainly focused on the child's own life skills and the shared household. Mothers especially wanted to teach children skills of independence, responsibility, self-help and doing one’s own share. Moreover, mothers wanted to communicate to their children that household chores are part of everyday life and for everyone in the household. In conclusion, it can be proposed that through domestic work upbringing mothers want to contribute to the well-being of both the child and the household, which may also have a positive impact on societal action as a whole.
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(2023)Objectives In this Master's thesis, intervention studies targeting development of academic giftedness were examined. The objective of the research was to discover effective interventions based on scientific evidence. In the theoretical sections of the study, it is examined (1) what components the theoretical models and definitions of the giftedness concept are built upon, (2) how academic gifted potential can be identified in schools and what kind of support needs are associated with it, and (3) the most common forms of intervention used in the education of academically gifted students are depicted. (4) The final part of the theoretical framework examines the provision of support within the context of the Finnish school system. In the research section (5), through a systematic literature review, the effects of educational interventions aimed at developing academic giftedness are examined and the obtained results are compared with previous research evidence. Finally, the study examines the applicability of evidence-based interventions in the context of the Finnish inclusive school and special education. This research was carried out as part of the special education studies at the University of Helsinki and is based on evidence-based support measures for groups and individuals in need of special solutions. Methods The acquisition of research material was carried out through a systematic literature review. Database searches were conducted in ERIC (ProQuest), ASC (EBSCO), Science Direct (Elsevier), PsycInfo (Ovid), Web of Science (Abstract), Scopus (Elsevier), and JSTOR da-tabases. The research included peer-reviewed intervention studies from the years 2000-2023. The studies targeted primary school-aged children and included data on effects, efficacy, and statistical significance concerning the impacts of interventions aimed at supporting academic giftedness. The theoretical framework of the research was constructed through a literature review. Meta-analyses and extensive systematic reviews were utilized to reinforce the research's theoretical framework and to evaluate the results. In total, fourteen studies met the defined search criteria. These studies are marked with an asterisk in the bibliography. The quality assessment process (EPHPP) reduced the number of studies that made it into the final synthesis to ten (10) intervention studies. Research Questions: 1. What types of effects have intervention studies demonstrated in interventions targeted at the education of academically gifted students? 2. Does prior review research evidence align with the findings of this study regarding the effectiveness of different intervention types? Results. (T1) The study found evidence of positive effects of the examined interventions on students' academic achievements, thinking skills, and socio-emotional variables such as motivation and attitudes. The results of the study reinforce earlier evidence of the diverse benefits of enrichment interventions aimed at academically gifted students. (T2) For different forms of interventions, the results of the study corroborated earlier evi-dence on the effectiveness of content enrichment in supporting academic giftedness. The study also found evidence of the benefits of psychosocial interventions and systematic instructional adaptation.
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(2023)Objectives. This thesis examines how students participating in a new kind of university course construct their academic emotions in relation to a blended and student-activating learning environment. Closer examination is paid to the practices, tools, and interactions students felt mediating optimal or harmful learning experiences. Students' emotional experiences of the learning context could be further used in developing innovative learning environments. Methods. This thesis is a qualitative case study in which the phenomenon under study is the quality and nature of students' academic emotions in relation to a university course. The research materials were students' written learning journals (N=20) which were produced during the duration of the course. Students’ academic emotions and experiences of the learning context were analyzed qualitatively by a phenomenological research approach. Qualitative analysis was guided by applying Yiks ym., (1999) multidimensional core affect theory, and understanding of the quality of students' academic emotions was deepened by examining the students' reported experiences of challenge and competence (Csikszentmihalyi, 2013) and control and value (Pekrun, 2006). Results and conclusion. Students experienced the course as activating, and inspirational and reported it being meaningful in relation to their professional development. The course was also considered challenging and frustrating, the single most reported affect being confusion. Many of the activating emotional experiences were constructed in relation to the course’s phenomenon project which was considered engaging but confusing and challenging. Emotions most optimal for learning were reported in relation to the small group work and peer feedback. Some of the students reported feelings of confusion and frustration towards lack of sufficient guidance. Feelings of boredom and frustration were felt towards the usability of the course’s digital environment which was not considered optimal for learning. Feelings of confusion and frustration seem to be part courses which use student activating practices and therefore there needs to be enough support to process these emotions. The results of this study give some indication of the practices, interactions and tools enhancing and hindering students’ academic confusion, but topic needs to be further studied.
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(2023)Aikaisempien tutkimusten perusteella lasten psyykkinen oireilu ja mielenterveyden haasteet ovat lisääntyneet kouluympäristössä. Tässä tutkimuksessa lapsen psyykkisellä oireilulla tarkoitetaan lapsen omaa psyykkistä häiriötä tai ulkoisten tekijöiden, aiheuttamaa reaktiota, jonka vuoksi oppilas ei syystä tai toisesta kykene, osaa tai halua toimia yleisesti asetettujen normien mukaisesti kouluympäristössä. Oppilaalla ei tarvitse olla erillistä diagnoosia, jotta oireilu voidaan katsoa psyykkiseksi oireiluksi. Aikaisemmassa tutkimuksessa on havaittu, ettei erityisopettajien tämänhetkinen koulutus ja resurssit vastaa työelämän vaatimuksia liittyen psyykkisesti oireilevien oppilaiden kohtaamiseen ja tukemiseen. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena on selvittää alakoulussa työskentelevien laaja-alaisten erityisopettajien kokemuksia omista valmiuksista tunnistaa ja tukea psyykkisesti oireilevia oppilaita sekä kartoittaa millaista tukea erityisopettajat saavat psyykkisesti oireilevien oppilaiden kanssa työskentelyyn. Tämä tutkimus on kvalitatiivinen tutkimus, jonka tutkimusstrategiaksi valittiin fenomenologis-hermeneuttinen lähestymistapa, jossa pyritään syvällisesti ymmärtämään ja tulkitsemaan ihmisen kokemusta ja kokemusmaailmaa. Tutkimuksen aineisto koostuu seitsemän alakoulussa työskentelevien laaja-alaisten erityisopettajien teemahaastatteluista. Aineisto analysoitiin aineistolähtöisellä sisällönanalyysillä hyödyntäen Gioia- metodologiaa. Tutkimuksen tulosten mukaan erityisopettajat tunnistivat oppilaan psyykkinen oireilun normaalista poikkeavana lapsen ulospäin ja sisäänpäin suuntauvana oireiluna. Psyykkisen oireilun ilmenemisessä painotettiin yksilöllisyyttä ja muutosten tunnistamisessa tärkeäksi koettiin hyvä oppilastuntemus. Erityisopettajat tunnistivat psyykkisen oireilun taustalla ympäristötekijöitä, neurologisia tekijöitä ja ikäkausiin liittyviä muutoksia. Työkokemus, haasteet, uuden oppiminen ja oppilaan asioiden edistämisen koettiin lisäävän voimavaroja ja työn antoisuutta. Toisaalta liialliset odotukset, resurssien puute ja käyttäytymisen haasteet koettiin uuvuttavana. Yleisesti erityisopettajan koulutus nähtiin hyödyllisenä, mutta sen ei koettu antavan riittävästi valmiuksia kohdata psyykkisesti oireilevia oppilaita. Erityisopettajat kokivat saavansa valmiuksia työkokemuksesta, työyhteisöltä sekä koulutuksista. Erityisopettajat mainitsivat saavansa tukea psyykkisesti oireilevien oppilaiden kanssa työskentelyssä oppilashuollosta, luokanopettajilta, erityisluokan opettajilta, mentoriopettajilta ja lähiesihenkilöiltä. Ammatillisen yhteistyön toimivuudesta huolimatta oppilashuollon koettiin olevan liian työllistetty. Suomessa ei ole tehty aikaisempaa tutkimusta, joka keskittyisi pelkästään alakoulussa työskentelevien erityisopettajien kokemuksiin oppilaiden psyykkisen oireilun tunnistamisesta ja tukemisesta. Tutkimus vahvistaa aikaisempia tutkimustuloksia siitä, ettei erityisopettajien koulutus ja saatavilla olevat resurssit vastaavat nykyisiin työelämän vaatimuksiin psyykkisesti oireilevien oppilaiden kanssa toimiessa. Tämän tutkimuksen tuloksia ei voida yleistää koskemaan kaikkia alakoulussa työskenteleviä erityisopettajia, mutta tutkimus luo kuvaa erityisopettajien työn resursseista, koulutuksen tarpeista sekä työssäjaksamisesta psyykkisesti oireilevien oppilaiden kanssa työskennellessä. Lisäksi tutkimus vahvistaa käsityksiä koulun tukitoimien resurssien puutteellisuudesta sekä kuinka laajasti psyykkisesti oireileva oppilas vaikuttaa kouluympäristössä.
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(2023)The research assignment of the study is based on the research literature of body image, according to which children's body concerns are significant in nature and often begin early before school age. The purpose of the study was to clarify the perceptions of primary school teachers about the importance of the teacher in the phenomenon of the formation of body image in children. The study seeks answers to teachers' views on the question of the formation of children's body concerns and their prevention. The data was collected using an online questionnaire employing a narrative completion method. The data consists of the reports (n=34) of primary school teachers (n=17), which were analysed with a qualitative phenomenographic research approach. From the reports of primary school teachers on the formation of pupil body concerns and their prevention, four types of different perceptions emerged, which constitute the main result of phenomenographic analysis. The teachers understood the formation of the student's body concerns and their prevention from the perspectives of equality, positivity-negativity, neutrality and pedagogy. Teachers' perceptions of the formation and prevention of body concerns as a result of teacher activity were mainly consistent with previous research literature. In their reports, teachers also identified causes unrelated to the teacher. The study shows a realistic understanding of teachers in the phenomena of the formation and prevention of children’s body concerns, as well as the ignorance of teachers in the existence of minority phenomena. Based on the research, it would next be essential to examine the study of the status and body image formation of minority children in a Finnish elementary school, research aimed at promoting a positive body image, and the latent need in current teacher education to understand diversity and reflect on the teacher's own bodily position.
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(2024)The purpose of this study has been to investigate the views of elementary school teachers on teacher expertise and the effects of social change on expertise. The aim of this study has been to determine how experienced teachers perceive teacher’s role and the changes that have taken place, focusing on teachers’ professional growth and the development of expertise. The significance of teachers and schools in society is evident. Education has been on display in the social discourse recently, focusing on the challenges brought by social change. The demands placed on teaching can be seen to have increased, and teachers view the social changes as a challenge to the implementation of the teacher’s and school’s primary task. By examining the construction and changes of teacher expertise, information can be obtained about the work of teachers in the present day and the meeting of demands and resources, so that the teacher’s professional development can be supported. The research was conducted as a qualitative study, using theory-guided content analysis methods, aiming for phenomenological inference. The data was collected by performing semi-structured interviews for six elementary school teachers, each of whom had worked as a teacher for over ten years. The participants of this study saw teacher expertise being formed by expertise in education and training, which includes professionalism and humanity. Teachers emphasized the building of expertise on a foundation of knowledge and, increasingly, educational skills, where the significance of an individual teacher has grown. Social change was seen to bring challenges to education, which require increasingly more thinking and decision-making skills. Teachers emphasized the need to adapt to a diverse world in times of social change through professional ethics and pedagogical expertise. A special challenge for expertise seemed to rise from the limited opportunities to influence one’s work and its implementation.
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(2023)The purpose of this master’s thesis is to determine to what extent co-teachers working in primary school experience burnout and work engagement and to explore a possible correlation between burnout and work engagement. In addition, the aim is to establish in what way the prerequisites of successful co-teaching are connected to burnout and work engagement among co-teachers. Furthermore, it is explored which background variables are connected to burnout, work engagement and the prerequisites of successful co-teaching. The method of this thesis was quantitative. The survey data was obtained by posting a questionnaire on a social media group aimed principally at teachers in May of 2022. 54 co-teachers took part in this study. The research material was analysed statistically with IBM SPSS software utilising exploratory factor analysis, descriptive analysis, correlation analysis and the Kruskal-Wallis H-test. On average, co-teachers experienced burnout symptoms rarely and work engagement a few times a week. A negative correlation was observed between burnout and work engagement. The more the co-teachers reported satisfaction with equal distribution of work and responsibility and interaction with their co-teaching partner the less they reported feelings of exhaustion and more work engagement. Satisfaction with the administrative support of co-teaching was connected to lower burnout and higher vigor. Experience as a teacher, age group or the length of co-teaching partnership were not connected to burnout, work engagement, or satisfaction with the administrative support of co-teaching. The longer the duration of the co-teaching partnership, the more satisfied the co-teachers were with the equal distribution of work and responsibility and the interaction with their co-teaching partner. This study presented new findings about burnout and work engagement among primary school co-teachers. In addition, the study brought additional evidence about the importance of the equal distribution of work and responsibility and the interaction between co-teaching partners. The study also highlighted the importance of administrative support towards co-teaching. The results of the study can be considered indicative. Further research is needed.
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(2023)Aims This study aims to explore teachers in Aland Islands,' perspectives on the relationship between students' physical activity and mental health, aiming to understand teachers' efforts to promote both aspects and raise awareness of their significance. In today's society, students tend to be increasingly sedentary, coinciding with a rise in mental health issues among them. Particularly in Aland Island,, alarming statistics have emerged in the past year, indicating higher rates of mental health challenges compared to the rest of Finland. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how teachers in Åland perceive this relationship and what measures they take to promote both physical activity and mental health among their students.To gain insights into this connection, the following research questions were formulated: What importance do teachers in Åland attribute to physical activity for students' mental health? What importance do teachers in Åland attribute to students' mental health for their physical activity? How do teachers work to increase students' physical activity and promote their mental health? How do teachers describe the relationship between students' physical activity and mental health? Methods This dissertation employed a qualitative research method with a narrative analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three active teachers in Åland for data collection. The collected material then generated three unique narratives serving as responses to the central research questions in the dissertation. Results Teachers emphasized the positive effects of physical activity on students' mental health, citing increased energy, joy, improved social interaction, concentration, and stress management. At the same time, the teachers said that students' mental health can influence their conditions, endurance, and motivation to engage in physical activity.Students facing mental health challenges might struggle to find motivation and energy to engage in physical activity. To promote both physical activity and mental health, schools in Åland participated in various events and break-time activities. Ultimately, the study participants were convinced that there was a connection between students' physical activity and their mental health, even though the extent of this connection could vary. This thesis raised awareness of the link between physical activity and mental health, providing insights into how teachers in Åland worked to support students' well-being. It also emphasized the need for additional resources and support, especially in the field of school psychology, to effectively address these challenges and promote students' health and well-being.
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(2022)Objectives. This study examines career change into early childhood education (ECE) teaching. According to research literature, second career teachers differ significantly from first career teachers. In the field of ECE, the phenomenon has not been examined before. The purpose of this study is to find out second career ECE teachers´ career choice motives; examine the fulfillment of their expectations of ECE teaching and satisfaction of their career change; and investigate factors that increase their job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The theoretical framework is based, among other things, on the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice -scale (Watt & Richardson, 2007) and Herzberg's motivation theory (1957). According to previous studies, the career choice of ECE teachers is influenced by internal motives, such as teaching as a calling and the desire to work with children. Children, the social dimension of work, perceived autonomy at work and skilled leadership increases teachers' job satisfaction. Job dissatisfaction is caused by insufficient resources, unclear job description, the structure of ECE and dysfunctional teamwork. Methods. This research was carried out as an electronic survey research (n=76). The data was collected on Facebook through groups of the student organizations of the universities of Helsinki and Tampere and two groups on early childhood education. In addition, the survey was sent to second career teacher students at the University of Helsinki. The data was analyzed using data-based content analysis, cross-tabulation and Spearman's correlation coefficient. Results and conclusions. The most significant career choice motives of second career ECE teachers were interest, meaning, employment prospects and stress from previous work. Interest towards ECE teaching acted as a protective factor against new career change intentions. The second career ECE teachers were quite satisfied with their career changes, and their expectations of the work as an ECE teacher had been fulfilled quite well. Still, 46% of second career ECE teachers considered changing fields again. The most significant factors leading to job satisfaction were children, job description, positive feelings related to the job and social factors. Job dissatisfaction was experienced because of insufficient resources, salary and high job demands.
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