Browsing by Subject "expertise"
Now showing items 1-8 of 8
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(2016)The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between autonomic arousal, activation and auditory change detection in musicians and non-musicians, as reflected by the mismatch negativity (MMN) component of event-related potential response and cardiovascular activity measured in heart rate. 20 musicians and 20 non-musicians were included in the study. An oddball paradigm composed of stimuli deviating in three difficulty levels from standard tone in pitch, duration and location was utilized with two conditions of passive listening, which were followed by intermittent active listening tasks. Only pitch and duration deviants were analysed. Musicians exhibited greater MMN amplitudes, shorter MMN latencies and superior behavioral performance evidenced by discrimination accuracy and reaction time. The effects were observed for both pitch and duration deviants. Musicians' resting heart rates were lower during pre-experiment and both pre-task baselines, indicating higher cardiovascular efficiency. Greater task-related heart rate acceleration in active listening was observed in the musician group than in the non-musician group. MMN amplitude to pitch deviants during passive listening tasks correlated positively with behavioral accuracy in active discrimination tasks. Faster heart rate during active listening predicted better task performance in musician group, whereas the effect was opposite in non-musician group. In musician group, higher heart rate increased the task performance more for subjects with smaller MMN amplitudes. These data thus imply that cortically measured preattentive auditory discrimination capacity is reciprocally connected to the arousal dimension of autonomic nervous system's activity and that musical expertise affects this relationship. Results add support to the evidence of musicians' superior auditory change detection capacity measured in event-related potentials and behavioral performance, while providing new insights to the role of psychophysiological arousal in sound processing and other mental tasks.
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(2024)Objectives. This paper examines the epistemic activity of a small group of 7th grade comprehensive school pupils in a single session of innovation. The pupils work together to design and build a "smart pillow". The pupils' handicraft combines electrical engineering and sewing. The study analyzes epistemic search sequences (ESS): situations in which pupils fill in gaps in their knowledge. In these situations, the pupils ask and answer questions in an informed way. The paper explores how pupils negotiate shared epistemic expertise and knowledge construction in their interactions. The paper analyzes the verbal, gestural, and material interactions of pupils. Methods. Conversation analysis (CA) looks at interaction moment by moment. It is based on pupils' interpretations of each other's verbal and nonverbal actions. The primary data for the study is video footage recorded with a single camera and microphone, which was then transcribed. The same group of pupils was previously studied (Davies et al., 2023; Mehto et al., 2020b) using mostly theory-driven methods with focus on a longer time span of collaboration. However, CA brings the pupils' interactions into a data-driven focus that includes microanalytical study of verbal, gestural, and material activities during a single meeting. Results and conclusions. The epistemic interaction between pupils was learning oriented. The analysis showed that the pupils made progress in their work by frequently asking and answering questions (F=157). Through question-answer adjacency pairs, pupils positioned themselves as epistemically knowledgeable (K) in different ways. The analysis showed that pupils who were more frequently positioned as more knowledgeable (K+) asked more informative questions and gave more instructions. Pupils used gestures to guide their work. They used gaze to review information stored both on the prototype and a smartphone. Pupils also showed epistemic evaluation expertise with the use of modal verbs. The pupils approached craft know-how from perspectives of possibility and necessity. The most frequently used modal verbs were voida (can), pitää (must), saada (get) and kannattaa (it is worth).
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(2016)Changing work as well as changing expertise requirements are an often discussed topic in our current public discussion. In this study, the main interests were the conceptions of expertise and experiences of changing work and expertise requirements. The participants of the study (n=12) were a group of professionals working in a company providing language services. The aim of the study was to analyse how the participants understand expertise and what kind of changes and new expertise requirements they have experienced at their work. The main analytical concept of the study is expertise, and the theoretical framework consists of research literature on expertise on individual and collective dimensions which were compared to the conceptions of expertise among the sample group. The changes the research subjects have experienced at work were thematically analyzed by mirroring their views against some viewpoints on changing work and the historical work types. The study is based on a qualitative research strategy and the material was analysed by applying phenomenographic content analysis. The material was collected through one-to-one interviews. The work related expertise as described by the participants is presented through examples, whereas the phenomenographic analysis focuses on the participants' conceptions of expertise and on experiences of changes of work. To conclude, the results of the study were collected to categories of description. The results clearly showed that the contextual dimension of expertise as experience in the professional field was considered as one of the most important element of expertise. In addition to knowledge, skills, self-awareness and education, expertise was also related to learning new things as a prerequisite for expertise development. Also, knowing the customer was seen as expertise. In addition, respect from others was also seen as part of being an expert. In this material, expertise was portrayed more as an individual rather than a collective quality, even though the work was considered a team effort. The changes at work were related to increasing customer demands, changing technology and financial pressures. Despite these changes, the underlying nature of work was seen as unchanged and overall, the changes were not considered to lead to any completely new expertise requirements.
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(2011)This study is about competence development in an expertise organization. Also, gender as a cultural and discursive construction was examined. The foucauldian critical discourse analysis and the theory of critical management and organization studies formed the theoretical and methodological framework. As the research phenomenon was understood as discursively produced, power is defined through the idea of government and as a knowledge constituting concept. It was examined what kind of reality, discursive subject positions, and finally, what kind of gender is produced in the discourse covered in this study. The context of the study was an expertise company that provides comprehensive infrastructure services. Managing and leading experts were therefore one of the main themes of the study. The qualitative research data was collected in a research project which concentrated on the possibilities, barriers and preconditions of the competence and career development in three different organizations. The gender viewpoint was included in the research project. The data was collected with a semi-structured interview. In this study nine individual interviews from one of the organizations were used, of which three were managers' interviews and six were the interviews of employees . The data was analyzed with the critical discourse-analytical reading approach when the data was interpreted as the discourse of competence development. The findings identify the examined discourse as a governmental method of discipline which entwines to the business strategy of the company, producing reality about the importance of continuous competence development. It demands employees to define themselves as self-developmental and active subjects. The employees adopted the discourse by constructing themselves as experts who are willing to develop, but who at the same time are challenging hierarchical power relationships. Expertise enables position to challenge manager-subordinate relationships by constructing them as cooperational and equal. Manager-position was constructed as a legitimized developer imposed by the organization as well as a mentor who facilitates the self-direction of the employees. Generally gender was produced as a concept independent of sex. However, at the same time gender was constructed through the differences between the sexes, being either advantage or a barrier for an individual. As a conclusion, it can be interpreted that being a subordinate and a manager seems to be changing and situational in contemporary organizations. The study reveals the changing forms of control in organizations and the requirement of more subjective work.
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(2014)The purpose of this narrative study is to ascertain how kindergarten teachers perceive their pedagogical responsibility in the context of the distributed organization and how they feel their responsibilities have changed expertise in the development of the over time. Changes in the social environment and the shift towards an increasingly distributed organization model in early childhood education are reflected in to need to review and redefine the pedagogical responsibility of the kindergarten teacher. The aim of the study is to define kindergarten teacher's pedagogical responsibility in a postmodern society and to describe its evolution in the wake of the changing nature of the expertise in question of kindergarten teaching. The study analysed views regarding the pedagogical responsibility from the perspective of different teacher generations. The three generations that became apparent from the study were the generation that witnessed the expansion of children's day care outside the home, the experienced early childhood educators, and the latest generation of early childhood educators who are at the beginning of their career. The theoretical framework for the study is formed by research into both kindergarten teacher expertise and distributed organization. The data included eleven (11) kindergarten teacher's diaries. The data was analysed using the methods of structural narrative analysis (Labov 1967) and content analysis. The data acquisition and analysis methods support the objective in narrative research, which is to "give a voice" to the target group of the research. The research findings show that kindergarten teachers have a clear and structured understanding of pedagogical responsibility and the area of its content that falls under their remit. The evolution of pedagogical responsibility is an on going process, affected by personal characteristics as well as societal and particularly early childhood educators at the beginning of their careers felt a lack of confidence in taking pedagogical responsibility in relation to the other members of their team. Kindergarten teachers voiced a wish that directors of day care centers and the organisation would lend their support to their professional development and to carrying out their pedagogical responsibility. The research findings highlighted the importance of pedagogical leadership as a precondition for high-quality early childhood education. The pedagogical responsibility of kindergarten teachers was studied investigated in the present study exclusively in relation to each kindergarten teacher's own team. However, the shift towards shared pedagogical leadership may be deemed a necessary developmental path in the distributed early childhood education organisation.
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(2014)The heart of instrumental study in music school is formed by collaboration between a professional instrumental teacher and pupil with individual qualities. Individuality of learning, a learner-centered approach and goal-oriented demands are combined in music school curriculums and other instructions. Subjects concerning the diversity and difference of learning are, however, under discussion the fields of elaboration and development in music institutes. Also in reports has taken notice in increased needs of pedagogical know-how concerning this area. The purpose of this research was to focus on learning diversity by way of expertise experiences of the instrumental teacher. In order to explore this, I asked six experienced string teachers to contemplate a pupil they considered as different or special. With narrative thematic inquiry, qualitative and phenomenological approach and content based content analysis, the aim was to examine how the teachers acted with their pupil and experienced as experts in their work actions. The result of the research displays four experience-related elements of expertise, relating to each other: the independent agency of the teacher, different teachership, knowledge and teacher's reflection on what is the best from pupil's point of view. The position of the instrument teacher as an institutional actor was significant both in pedagogical and practise decision making concerning studying in music school. Different teachers put it in practise in different ways, too. Also diverse or special learning produced different teachership as instrument teachers felt like stepping out of their professional core know-how. Instrumental teachers also based their actions and decisions largely on previous experiences and found their knowledge inadequate when meeting learning challenges. Teachers experienced contradictions between meaningful and pleasure giving approaches and teaching they could offer. According to these results, music schools should improve in practices that offer professional support for instrumental teachers. Also, they should bring more out the questions related the support of pupils with learning and other difficulties. That concerns both curriculum work and a teacher profession concerning questions. This would improve pupil equality and increase the pedagogical well-being of the instrumental teacher.
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(1999)Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin teemahaastatteluiden avulla Suomen Matemaatikko- ja Fyysikkoliiton (SMFL) jäsenten käsityksiä työstä ja heidän työssä tarvitsemista kvalifikaatioista. Kvalifikaatiolla tai pätevyydellä tarkoitettiin työssä tarvittavia tietoja ja taitoja. Työllä tarkoitettiin asiantuntijoiden työtehtäviä, jonka lisäksi työtä tarkasteltiin toimintajärjestelmän käsitteen avulla huomioiden työvälineet, työn kohde sekä työhön liittyvä yhteistyö ja työnjako. Lisäksi kartoitettiin käsityksiä työssä tapahtuvista muutoksista sekä niistä seuraavista kvalifikaatiovaatimuksista. Tutkimuksen näkökulmana oli kontekstuaalisuus, mikä ilmeni tutkimuksessa mm. siten, että kvalifikaatioita ja kvalifikaatiovaatimuksia tarkasteltiin suhteessa laajempaan yhteyteen. Tutkimuksessa pyrittiin vastaamaan seuraaviin tutkimusongelmiin: 1. Mikä on jäsenten käsitys nykyisestä työstään? 1.1. Mitkä ovat jäsenten päätehtävät työssään? 1.2. Millaisia kvalifikaatioita työtehtävissä tarvitaan? 2. Millainen käsitys jäsenillä on työn muutoksesta? 2.1. Millaisia muutoksia työssä tapahtuu tulevaisuudessa? 2.2. Miten muutokset heijastuvat jäsenten kvalifikaatiovaatimuksiin? Tutkimuksessa haastateltiin 12 SMFL:n jäsentä. Tutkimusmenetelmänä oli sisällönerittely. Haastateltujen käsitykset työtehtävistään jaoteltiin kuuteen ryhmään. Työtehtävissä korostuivat mm. ennakointi, tutkimus- ja kehitystyö, atk-suunnittelu sekä esimies- ja koulutustehtävät. Haastateltujen työssä tarvitsemat kvalifikaatiot liittyivät tekniikkaan ja työvälineisiin sekä asiakkaiden ja työtovereiden kanssa toimimiseen. Lisäksi he tarvitsivat työssään ongelmanratkaisutaitoja, loogista ajattelukykyä ja tietojen soveltamistaitoa. Jäsenten käsityksissä työstä ja kvalifikaatioista heijastui asiantuntijuuden arvostaminen sekä halu toimia haastavissa ja vaihtelevissa tehtävissä. Työssä tapahtuvia muutoksia on paljon, joista selkeimmät liittyivät tekniseen muutokseen. Kaikki muutokset eivät kuitenkaan vaikuta työhön tai siinä tarvittaviin tietoihin ja taitoihin. Kvalifikaatiovaatimuksiin liittyen korostettiin erityisesti osaamisten monipuolistamista ja laajentamista ja toisaalta tietojen erikoistamista. Tiedot ja taidot vanhenevat nopeasti, minkä vuoksi jatkuva ja elinikäinen opiskelu on tärkeää.
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(2020)The aim of this Master’s Thesis is to research teachers perceptions on the development of expertise and the role of collective-efficacy within those perceptions. The focus is on different teachers at different points of their careers and on how expertise development and collective-efficacy’s role within that are viewed by teachers themselves. The theoretical background of the research is largely based on prof. K.A. Ericsson’s expertise theory and prof. A. Bandura’s theory on self-efficacy and related collective-efficacy. Previous research has shown that collective-efficacy has a positive effect on, for example, teacher self-efficacy and student learning. The data of the research consists of two groups of three teachers. One group of teachers consisted of experienced special education teachers and one of classroom teachers at early points of their careers. The data was collected through semi-structured group interviews where Bandura’s theory on collective-efficacy was used largely as the basis of question setting. The research was conducted qualitatively, and the data was analysed using phenomenographical content analysis. The analysis is data-based, but theory guided the research due to its effect on the interview question setting. The results of the research indicated that expertise development and the role of collective-efficacy was viewed quite similarly by the two groups. The development of expertise could be divided into the following sub-groups: expertise as continuously shaping, areas of development and expertise, realisations, and student group. Collective-efficacy and its relationship with expertise could be divided into the following sub-groups: feedback and learning, discussion, exchange of teaching practices, leadership, sense of community and overall wellbeing. This suggests that there are similarities in the way the topic is viewed by different professionals within the teaching profession. The more experienced special education teachers’ descriptions can be characterised as specific in nature. The class education teachers described the topic in both general and specific ways. As a practical implication, more information from the topic could be added to teacher-education curriculum to increase student teachers’ knowledge regarding the subject.
Now showing items 1-8 of 8