Browsing by Subject "fenomenografia"

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.

The purpose of this study was to examine how HR professionals working in private employment sector view and experience their own expertise. Expertise is a phenomena that can be interpreted in many ways and it has been studied a lot from different perspectives. In this study the focus was on professional expertise and on experience of having expertise. My research question was: What kind of perceptions HR professionals have of their own expertise? With this research question I wanted to find out how the HR professionals view their own expertise, what are the main elements of it and what kind things and experiences affect the development of their expertise. This research was a qualitative case study. The research data was collected by interviewing eight HR professionals working for a private employment company WorkPower Oy. I used thematic interviews as a data collecting method. The research data was analysed with a phenomenographic analysis. The phenomenographic analysis focuses on individuals’ perceptions and experiences on certain phenomena. The results of this study show that the expertise of the HR professionals consists of many different elements. Wide enough knowledge, capacity to act, social skills and ability to reflect one’s actions and know-how are key elements of HR professionals’ expertise. Also the ability to find the right words in different situations is vital, since the work in human resources is mainly based on interaction with different people. In addition, this study showed that constant learning and development of one’s skills and knowledge is also important to the expertise of HR professionals. There are several different challenges to the development of expertise, such as a busy working schedule, constant changes in one’s daily work and insufficient support. According to this study, practical experience and work-based learning are crucial for the development of expertise for the HR professionals working in private employment sector.

Aims. The aim of this qualitative study was to examine conceptions of competence and competence development and well-being at expert work from the employees' perspective. The aim was also to examine how the phenomena are attached to each other. Previous studies have shown that competence is a key factor in well-being, and competence development has positive effects on well-being, especially at knowledge-intensive work. The topic is important since expert work is more and more common. The research questions were: What kind of conceptions of competence and competence development and well-being at expert work the target organization's employees have, and how are the phenomena attached to each other according to the conceptions of the target organization's employees. Methods. The study was conducted by interviewing 12 employees from the selected target company. The target company is an expert organization and its employees are considered as experts. The research approach in this study was phenomenography. Results. According to the results, competence in expert work was extensive and complex, and the most essential way of learning was learning on the job. The results highlighted, that competence development took place in discomfort zone and required reflection and self-awareness. According to the results, well-being at work was based on meaningful, challenging, developing job with reasonable work load as well as open and collaborative atmosphere. Based on the results of the study, competence, competence development and well-being at work were attached to each other through work tasks that match one's competence, opportunities that develop one's competence, and competence in managing one's work, i.e. time management, organization and balance between the different areas of life. Work tasks are key elements of competence, competence development and well-being at expert work. Work tasks are a channel in applying and developing competence, and work tasks that match one's competence also serve as a basis for well-being. Work tasks require special attention when planning and managing expert work. Work management skills help in everyday work situations and support comprehensive life management, and these management skills should be taken into account in education and employment training. Work management skills and other potentially relevant well-being related skills would require further research.

The aim of this research is to reveal elements of contents and choices made in craft science doctoral dissertations. Total 27 dissertations have been published between 1994-2019 during the nearly 40-year history of craft science. The research theory focuses on the phenomenon itself revealing how and when the branch of science was founded and what it was based on. Theory section continues by introducing the central craft science models and theories focusing on those that are essential for the creation and objective of this thesis. The main question leading the research was: how the conceptions on craft science research content appear in craft science doctoral dissertations? The research is qualitative and inductive as it is based on analysing documents. It investigates conceptions on craft science through the dissertations. The research strategy and method is phenomenography, used also in the analysis of the data. Computerized coding was executed with ATLAS.ti coding programme and fulfilled with the help of NCT analysis model. The focus is on the dissertation abstracts. They sum up the most important information the craft scientists have chosen to share and reveal about their researches. The research aims to form an outcome space that summarises and offers an informative visual presentation of the data collected, coded and contemplated. The result of the analysis is a selection of categories of description that form an outcome space, which is common for phenomenographic research. The categories of description are: craft maker, role of craft, holistic craft, craft context and choices considering craft science researches. The outcome of the analysis is compared to craft science theories introduced in the theory section. Research findings also include a number of additional research suggestions and ideas.

According to the current concept of leadership, it is at its best in the model of shared leader-ship with collaborative action. A characteristic key component of school leadership is peda-gogical leadership, which takes the form of a collaborative process similar to shared leader-ship. The concept of pedagogical leadership is not well established and has been defined from several perspectives including the hierarchical model of pedagogical leadership (Ser-giovanni 1984), expanding pedagogical leadership responsibilities (Fonsén 2013). Other re-searchers have searched for differences in the meanings of instructional and general peda-gogical leadership. The aim of this study is to find out what kind of perceptions class teach-ers have about pedagogical leadership and what kind of perception they have about the role of a teacher as a pedagogical leader. A phenomenographic research approach was used in this qualitative study. The material consisted of essays by ten class teachers, with a total length of 19 A4 pages. The essay re-quest was made to pre-selected teachers with more than 15 years of work experience and collected by email. The analysis was done by dividing the theoretical material into themes which consisted of descriptions of pedagogical leadership that appeared in the previous stud-ies. Teachers’ perceptions of pedagogical leadership collected from the essays according to the theme and made an analysis on the basis of these themes. Teachers' perceptions of pedagogical leadership followed themes emerging from the previ-ous studies. Teachers’ perception of pedagogical leadership was by nature more of a trust-based leadership than instructional leadership. Teachers’ perceptions of pedagogical leader-ship appeared to be complex and multilevel. Teachers' perceptions differed and emphasized different issues. The concept of pedagogical leadership appears to teachers in a different sense.

Home economics is a school subject where interaction is emphasized. The subject also emphasizes interaction between students. According to previous studies, the interaction between teacher and student has significant effects on learning, motivation and school engagement. This study investigated home economics teachers’ conceptions of the interaction between the teacher and their pupils. In addition, the study identified interactive situations and the contributing factors. The study also focused on the importance of the physical classroom, and how it affects the teacher-student interaction. This study was carried out as a phenomenographic study. Data were collected by interviewing six home economics teachers. All teachers were women and they were 26 to 55 years old. They had worked as home economics teachers for two to thirty years. Semi-structured theme interviewing method was used when carrying out the interviews. Data analysis is based on phenomenographic approach. The interaction between the teacher and the student was understood as a two-way encounter between two individuals. Teachers felt that both the teacher and the student have an important role in interaction. The teachers had also a role of an adult in the classroom. According to teachers' views, the role of students in interaction was emphasized in making initiatives and how teachers’ attention was received. Interaction situations occurred both during teaching and elsewhere in school. The classroom was seen to affect the interaction between the teacher and the student. According to the teachers, it was important to keep an eye contact with each student. When teachers chose their favorite place in the classroom, it was a spot where they were close to their students. In those moments, the teachers felt that they could create interactive relationships. The interaction between the teacher and the student makes teachers’ work meaningful. It is also the reason, why teachers like to work in schools. Teacher education ought to develop teacher students’ abilities to face different students. In addition, decisions both at school district and national level, such as the size of teaching group, have implications for the teacher's resources to create meaningful interaction.

The aim of this study was to find out what kind of perceptions about three-step support model parents have. Participating families and parents were those whose children got intensified or special support in early childhood education. To clarify parents' perceptions sub-questions in this study were: 1) how well do the parent's know the concept of a three-step support model, 2) what kind of perceptions parents have of the support their child received, 3) what participating parents think of educational partnership and finally 4) what kind of feelings parents have of support. This topic is accurate, because the three-step support model has been used only four years, since 2011. Parents conceptions of this topic hasn't been really surveyed yet. However, strengthening the parental involvement is mentioned more and more in various national documents, f.ex in National core curriculum for Pre-primary and Basic Education which is currently in process. So the need for this study is evident. The theoretical framework of this study reviews development and learning support in early childhood education, the three-step support model as an intervention and educational partnership. Educational partnership is looked especially through the ecological theory of Bronfenbrenner. The data was collected by using semi-structured interviews. Twelve parents, whose children were receiving intensified or special support in early childhood education, were interviewed in this study. The methodological approach in this study was phenomenography and the data was analysed with phenomenografic analysis using Atlas.ti program as a tool. Phenomenographic survey research results can be considered as analysis generated "outcome space". The upper-level categories in outcome space were Parents' varying awareness of three-step support model, Parents' perceptions of the child's support, Many forms of educational partnership and Spectrum of emotions. Based on the results of this survey can be concluded that parents involved know the three-step support model really variously and mostly quite poorly. Parents suggested that the concept of three-step support model should be clarified more to the families, despite the fact that parents were trustworthy that things goes well in practice.

In this study aims to clarify student teacher efficacy beliefs for teaching visual arts in elementary school. This study provides information about what kind efficacy experiences student teachers have in teaching visual arts, what kind of background factors student teachers believe to be context on their efficacy beliefs, what kind of emphasis studies about the visual arts didactics receive in background factors of these self-efficacy experiences. Previous studies show that the self-efficacy experiences regard to the visual arts are quit divergent among teachers and students. Student teachers self-efficacy experiences in visual arts, had studied earlier for, example Ann Welch (1995) and Lummis, Morris & Paolini (2014). Also Albert Bandura (1997) has divided, on his theory of self-efficacy, the efficacy determinants into four categories of information. The study was conducted at the University of Helsinki, Department of Teacher Education in the spring of 2016. The data was collected by interviewing five student teachers, who had completed the course of the visual arts didactics and in addition to the two of them is also studied optional visual arts course. The study was conducted qualitative study and phenomenographic research method. The data was analyzed by categorizing. The results show that students have a little bit uncertain experience about their efficacy and competency regarding the teaching of the visual arts in elementary school context. These efficacy experiences can be divided into both positive and slightly negative beliefs. However, all five felt that in the future they will be able to teach the visual arts as part of their future work. Although at the same time they felt that it is not their strongest subject that they will teach in the future. The biggest uncertainty ranges were up artistic skills as well as management of a practical teaching arrangements. However, at the same time for all responses reflected the idea that the teacher does not have to be ready when he/she completed his/hers studies. Student teachers believes that in the background of their efficacy beliefs are many different factors. These background factors of the sources of efficacy believes, can be divided into both positive and slightly negative. Both of the above-mentioned category includes the individual's which is has been a great role in individual's life. The positive experiences to support student teachers own teaching been obtained from past experience: own school experiences and teaching experiences. Also the courses of visual art didactics were considered to provide the capacity for teaching visual arts. The negative affect to the efficacy believes were experiences the beginning of the comparison and evaluation, which has led to the increasing self-criticism.

Changes in the education system are often preceded by a vision of the future labor market situation. In January 2020, following a flagship project in Juha Sipilä ́s government ́s strategic program, the teaching of A1 language was stated early in the first grade and the class teachers were given a new subject to teach. The aim of this study was to find out classroom teachers ́ perceptions of early language learning and working methods. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, in March 2020, it was necessary to switch to distance learning. The new teaching arrangements provided an opportunity to explore the link between the distance learning system for classroom teachers and the working methods of early language teaching. In addition, I studied classroom teachers ́ perceptions of the need to support both student learning and the organization of teaching in early language teaching. The material for this qualitative study was collected through a semi-structured thematic interview. I interviewed five classroom teachers and one special classroom teacher who had started early language teaching in January 2020. The transcripts of the interviews formed the material, which I analyzed according to the analysis of the phenomenographic study. In the analysis, I classified descriptive categories from the data, with which I presented the research results. The survey showed that some classroom teachers felt that they had received too little in-service training in the new subject being taught and they were unsure of their competence. Other classroom teachers felt they received adequate in-service training and the teaching was meaningful. Everyone had positive experiences, especially of students ́ enthusiasm and motivation for early language. The different learning difficulties of the students were perceived as challenges. The experience of learning support for students as well as teaching support varied slightly. Classroom teachers used functional, varied ways of working, as well as songs and games. In distance learning, working methods changed completely. Only half of the classroom teachers held early language lessons or small sessions weekly remotely. Students were sent links to the topics they were studying, and the responsibility for teaching and the student ́s support were largely transferred to the parents. The goals of early language teaching had to be compromised. As a key conclusion, I can say that classroom teachers need adequate in-service training that takes into account the different needs of teachers. To ensure the quality of teaching, many classroom teachers want to clearer guidance on what goals and how to proceed in early language. Closer co-operation with subject teachers would increase the confidence of classroom teachers to provide the right kind of teaching and support for students in early language learning.

The purpose of this study was to investigate primary school teachers’ views on teaching social functioning in physical education. The theory part of this study is driven by the keywords of this study, which are social functioning and physical education. In this study, social functioning refers to aspects such as emotional skills, co-operation, interaction and responsibility. The focus of my research was on six primary school teachers who teach physical education. Schools physical education classes provide an excellent environment for teaching social functioning, as physical is taught in unique settings compared to other subjects, and physical education classes involve a lot of pair and group activities. The study adopted a phenomenographic approach, aiming to understand the research subjects’ experiences on the chosen topic. I collected data for my study by conducting six theme interviews, each lasting 30-50 minutes. The data analysis was carried out using thematic analysis. The thematic analysis was data-driven, meaning that the themes I identified emerged from the data rather than being driven by theory. Based on the research results, primary school teachers had limited but generally accurate perceptions of the concept of social functioning in the context of physical education. According to teachers, social functioning included interaction and teamwork skills. Teachers considered the emotions generated in physical education to be a fertile ground for teaching social functioning. Teachers perceived giving responsibility to students and collaboration within groups as essential aspects of teaching social functioning. Additionally, the safety of physical education classes was seen as a crucial element of teaching social functioning. The teachers also emphasized the importance of their own example and being a role model in teaching social functioning. Based on the research results of this study, one can consider whether primary school teachers have enough knowledge of social functioning to teach it effectively in physical education classes. However, based on this study, it can be concluded that primary school teachers consider teaching social functioning to be a highly important part of physical education.