Browsing by study line "Muuttuva kasvatus ja koulutus"
Now showing items 41-47 of 47
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(2024)Objectives. Lack of physical activity is considered as one of the most critical health challenges throughout the world. The aim of the current review study was to describe how personality is addressed in empirical studies aiming at analyzing and supporting physical activity in both traditional and technology-supported contexts and what kind of physical activity recommendations and research improvement proposals have been created based on this knowledge. It is also discussed, how this information could be applied in supporting and improving work ability. Methods. The study has been implemented as a scoping review, mapping the research relevant to the topic during the years 2005 – 2023. Searches were completed in seven databases (Pubmed, Cinahl, SportDiscus, Cochrane, PsychInfo, Web of Science and Scopus.) 7976 individual records were screened, and 29 records were selected as the research material based on co-operative process by the research group. The results have been described and summarised narratively. Results and conclusions. Personality traits extraversion and conscientiousness are consistently associated positively with physical activity. Neuroticism and physical activity have a consistent negative association. Tailoring the physical activity recommendations based on personality and utilising technological solutions according to the individual, science based needs could support the individuals’ physical activity level and indirectly also their work ability. By utilising personality-matching motivational strategies it is possible to support adults’ physical activity. As physical health is identified as an essential foundation of work ability, enhancing physical activity is suggested to also support the overall work ability. Further research on the impact of personality and potentially other psychological factors into physical activity is recommended to further support the development of psychologically individualised PA recommendations.
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(2023)Finnish school principals’ extreme stress and burnout reached worrying proportions in the past years that raised research interest. Job demands rose excessively, undermining their wellbeing. Lately, the primary research focus shifted from school principals’ stress to identifying factors that support wellbeing in their challenging work. This study examines school principals’ personal resources (psychological flexibility, grit, buoyancy) regarding combating stress and enhancing wellbeing. The theoretical framework is based on wellbeing studies, focusing especially on the eudaimonic and subjective nature of it, job demands-resources model, and personal resources. The data of the study consists of questionnaire data and physiological measurements. The levels of personal resources and self-reported stress were measured by using the extended Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire-II. The physiological measurements were obtained with the mobile heart rate monitoring device Firstbeat BodyGuard 2. Altogether 456 principals answered the questionnaire and 29 participated in the physiological data collection. The data analysis was conducted with Jamovi statistical program, using Pearson correlation and linear regression. The results showed that Finnish principals’ wellbeing was vitally influenced by the use of personal resources, which were associated with lower levels of stress: 29% of stress variance explained by them. Nevertheless, the sensitivity analysis highlighted that buoyancy itself significantly explained 27 % of self-reported stress. The correlation model between personal resources and physiological stress indicated that 15% of the measured stress variance could be explained when controlled for age and gender. However, none of the variables in the results showed statistical significance. Even though both self-reported and measured data suggested elevated stress levels, based on the analysis direct association between them could not be assumed due to the small sample size (N=29). This study contributes to a deeper understanding of personal resources and stress of Finnish school principals. These findings can support principals’ wellbeing and possible buoyancy-based intervention studies.
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(2023)This study examines the use of emotional abstract words in conversation between individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typical Language Development (ASD-TL) and Neurotypical Development (ND). To understand ASD's word application in the daily context, this study evaluates word usage through conversations. In view of the severity differences within ASD, ASD-TL without language delays may provide insight into the impact of social impairment on their use of abstract words. This study employs the concept of embodied theory, and compares word application between two groups based on emotion-referring words. This study applied a mixed-methods approach by conducting ten face-to-face Finnish conversations with Finnish-speaking males (n = 20), each group with an ASD-TL and a ND. First, a quantitative comparison was conducted between the two groups regarding the frequency and variety of the target words, and then a qualitative analysis was conducted to gain further insight into their usage. As a result, ASD-TLs used emotional words 22 times in a total of 12 words variety, while NDs used them 30 times in a total of 10 words variety. ASD-TL applied these words for expressing feelings and desires, as well as for asking questions and clarifying specifics as if the NDs. Therefore, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the frequency and variety of abstract words. In conclusion, this study indicates that people with ASD-TL are capable of communicating abstract language as ND people, which helps to reduce the stigma associated with ASD of having difficulties understanding and expressing feelings. To gain a deeper understanding of ASD's daily language application, future research should examine idiomatic expressions and eye-gazing patterns in between online and face-to-face conversations.
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(2024)A high level and intensity of competition among hotel workers seeking higher job positions, emotional labor, and the need for new knowledge and skills are some of the job stressors that directly and intensively impact employees’ occupational wellbeing. The Human Resources sector is widely recognized as one of the foremost assets within tourism and hospitality organizations, extensively examined by numerous scholars. However, the impact of organizational training on employees' organizational wellbeing has been relatively understudied. The purpose of this study is to expand studies in the field of hospitality in Finland and contribute to understanding the training methods used in chain hotels in Helsinki and the relationship between job training and employees’ occupational wellbeing. The results of the current thesis indicate a positive but statistically insignificant association between job training satisfaction and wellbeing in the workplace. Components such as gender, age, years of working, and occupational status including department, were determined statistically insignificant in their relationship between job training and wellbeing in the workplace. The study also found that managers in this industry have received more training than subordinates. Additionally, one-on-one training and self-study, including video-based training, were provided more frequently than other training methods to trainees. Analyses of the findings led to conclusions and suggestions for researchers and professionals in the field of Human Resource Development. These suggestions included providing more training that is focused on employees' wellbeing, and conducting qualitative research to examine the effectiveness of current training methods.
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(2023)Objectives. The purpose of this thesis was to explore how students perceive queer in/visibility in higher education. Queer is defined as a concept that includes queer pedagogy, queer theory, as well as queer as an identity. Previous research has shown that queering educational institutions was not sufficiently happening. This study aims to give an overview of the current state of queer visibility in higher education by investigating how students in one education faculty perceive queer in higher education. The major question driving the inquiry was if and in what way queer was visible or invisible to the students. Methods. The study was conducted by applying a thematic analysis to participants responses to a writing prompt. The thematic analysis was operationalised through inductive and deductive coding. The deductive coding was based on the theoretical concepts of invisibility as well as on the Ward-Gale model. Inductive coding was used to complement the analysis. Results and conclusions. The results of the study show a profound invisibility of queerness in higher education and limited visibility. Queer visibility was mostly connected to individual students’ visibility and the queer community. There is a clear lack of visibility in staff, curriculum, and higher education structures. The outcomes demonstrate the harm this can do on students’ well-being. Some participants portray being queer as something that is hard but also that it could have been easier if there had been more education on the topic. The study initially aimed to expand the Ward-Gale model; however, the results demonstrate that elements of the existing model are not being implemented in the higher education institution that served as the site of this study. I suggest that further research needs to be done on this topic and strongly urges institutions of higher education to increase queer visibility. Furthermore, I suggest implementing teacher trainings, making use of queer teaching materials, encouraging teachers to queer their teaching style, and organising queer events. One way to begin enhancing queer visibility is to implement the Ward-Gale model that is presented in this study. The article will be submitted for publishing to the European Journal of Higher Education.
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(2023)Objectives. The social role of children has been established over the years and the strengthening of children’s participation is strictly based on international human rights obligations such as the Constitution Law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Several theorists such as Hart (1992), Shier (2001), Lundy (2007) and Turja (2011) have also defined children’s participation creating different models. Although the importance of children’s participation and hearing children’s opinions are emphasized in several studies and reports (E.g., Karlsson, 2012; Stenvall, 2021; Turja, 2011; Weckström, 2021), it is not always implemented appropriately. The aim of this study is to describe children’s participation experiences and opportunities to participate in decision making. This study focuses on children in ECEC and in 6th grade in three municipalities with different demographical locations and population. Another purpose is to examine the role of adults in participation through children's narratives. In particular, the research makes use of Lundy's (2007) and Turja's (2011) participation models, where participation is seen as a multidimensional entity. The research focuses on the experiences of children in ECEC and children in the 6th grade of primary school to see how age affects those participation experiences. In addition, the review considers the effects of geographical location on the realization of equal participation. Methods. This thesis has been done as part of a sub-study belonging to a larger multidisciplinary research project that was commissioned and funded by the Ministry of Education: 'Multidisciplinary research project on the effects of demographic trends to education' and the sub study 'Equity, children's rights, and the child impact assessment.’ This study was carried out in workshop interviews with children and the data was analyzed using theory-based content analysis. Results and conclusions The data revealed many factors strengthening and weakening children's participation. The results of this study are linked to environments and communities. Children's participation is formed, and it culminates in community and respectful interactions.
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(2024)Rwanda’s national development plans recognize the need to improve the quality of teacher education. Values have an important role in the new national curriculum. The understanding of the explicit role of values in education and the interest towards values education has increased internationally in the current century. The research on ubuntu philosophy has proliferated in recent decades, and it has been suggested as a potential notion that can restructure the philosophical underpinnings of education, especially in sub-Saharan African contexts. This study investigated the role of values and ubuntu in Rwandan teacher education. The aim of the study is to evaluate how teacher educators attach their values and ubuntu philosophy to their descriptions of teaching practices. This qualitative study was based on narrative inquiry. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted in Rwanda with the teacher educators of the University of Rwanda-College of Education. Snowball sampling was utilized to recruit the interviewees. The interview data was analyzed using Riessman’s (2008) thematic narrative analysis approach. The narratives indicated that the teacher educators acknowledge the importance of values in teaching profession, and ubuntu is a relevant teaching philosophy to them, although there are no clear frameworks for its application in Rwanda. The narratives reflected the teacher educators’ personal, interpersonal and professional values. Their perspectives on ubuntu corresponded with the conceptualizations constructed in the literature. Five categories of value-informed teaching practices were established based on the narratives. These categories described the contexts in which the teacher educators aim to actualize their values. Four categories of ubuntu-informed teaching practices were identified. These reflected the different approaches that the teacher educators utilize in teaching the values and attitudes of ubuntu to the students.
Now showing items 41-47 of 47