Browsing by master's degree program "Muuttuvan kasvatuksen ja koulutuksen maisteriohjelma"

The mental health of university students has been a concern worldwide for years, and the issues have been increasing gradually to this date. Factors related to increased stress and mental health issues among university students include poor academic performance. To succeed in studies, students need to acquire organized study skills, which are also connected to one’s psychological well-being. By increasing psychological flexibility, it is possible to learn skills of managing stress, thoughts, and emotions and thus enhance one’s own mental well-being. Psychological flexibility is the goal of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and refers to a skill to focus on the present moment and live in the pursuit of one’s own goals and values. The connection between psychological flexibility and well-being has been studied quite extensively with quantitative measures. However, there is less research about this connection in the context of higher education institutes and university students. Also, according to the knowledge of the researcher, there has been fewer studies on the impact mechanisms of the different sub-processes of psychological flexibility and ACT. More in-depth research with qualitative methods is also needed to gain better understanding about the phenomenon. In some studies, ACT-based interventions have been found to have a positive impact on university students’ psychological well-being and study skills, but more research is needed within this context. The study was conducted applying a mixed methods approach combining repeated measures ANOVA and inductive content analysis. The research group consisted of students who participated in the web-based course, Towards Better Well-being and Studying, during fall 2021 at the University of Helsinki, Finland. For the quantitative measurements, a control group was also used, consisting of students on the waiting list for the course. The research task of this study was to gain better understanding of the possible changes in the participants’ well-being and organized study skills during the course, as well as to examine, how the students attending the course have evaluated the effectiveness of the specific modules and tasks involved during the course. Quantitative results showed that the course had a statistically significant effect on participants' organized study skills, psychological flexibility, and emotional and psychological well-being. Comparing the results of students who participated in the course with those of the control group, whose measures remained mostly the same, confirms this finding about the effects of the course on well-being, organized study skills and psychological flexibility. The results of the qualitative part of the study were in line with these findings. Based on findings from inductive content analysis, the course’s different modules were perceived as useful, and the course had an impact on the well-being of most students as well as their organized study skills. Students’ responses displayed personal development and in-depth reflection both at an individual level and at a broader and societal level. The students felt that they had gained new insights and particularly many concrete tips on how to promote their own well-being and learning, which they will continue to use in the future.

Abstract: Objectives. In recent years, educational systems around the world have been making a paradigm shift in their approach towards providing support systems for the students with diverse learning needs to move towards achieving a more inclusive educational system. The primary objective of this study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the intention and implementation of the Three-Tier Support System in a major city in Finland with a specific focus on the perspective of a senior Municipality Official. The study aims to assess the purpose and execution of the support system by examining various aspects that are critical to its actual implementation. Previous studies have emphasized the significance of well-structured support systems in educational institutions, which could enhance student educational outcomes and their overall wellbeing. This study builds on such previous findings by investigating how the municipality of a major city in Finland has approached the intention and implementation of the Three-Tier Support System. In particular, the study seeks to understand the initial goals and practical steps taken by the city to achieve those goals to practice. It also evaluates the strategies adopted by the Municipality to implement the support system aiming to uncover best practices and areas that can be improved upon. Furthermore, the study also identifies challenges and barriers faced during both planning and implementation stages of the Three-Tier Support System and how they were or can be overcome to meet the intentions of the support system. By addressing these objectives, the study aims to provide valuable insights into the intention and implementation of the Three-Tier Support System in a major city in Finland, offering a detailed evaluation that could guide future policies and practices. Methods. The data for this study was collected through a semi-structured interview. The participant of this study was a senior municipal official who is in charge of the planning and implementation of Three-Tier Support System in a major city in Finland. Thematic Content Analysis was used to analyse the data by following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) 6-Step Framework to comprehensively analyse the intentions and implementation of the Three-Tier Support System. Results and conclusions. The study results indicate that although there are significant efforts being taken at the different levels of administration for the intention-oriented implementation of the Three-Tier Support System in the city, there is still an intention gap in the implementation process of the support system. This can be owed to the presence of some challenging factors in the implementation process. However, ongoing efforts along with strategic adjustments and forthcoming changes have the potential to overcome these challenges and bridge the gap between the intentions and implementation of the support system. The study concludes that addressing these challenges is critical for the success of the Three-Tier Support System and in achieving the goal of an inclusive education system. The findings of this study can inform the design and implementation of similar support systems in other municipalities and educational contexts, contributing to the broader conversation on inclusive education.

Objectives. Pedagogical planning is an essential process in early childhood education provision. It is also a space to embed child-centered pedagogy in practice. Connections between early childhood educators' well-being, children's well-being, and their participation in pedagogical planning have been found by prior research. Examining the dynamics between these phenomena sheds light on how important the well-being of all the early childhood education community members is in the process of education provision. This study aimed to look at the connection between children's psychosocial well-being, early childhood educators' subjective well-being, and the levels of child-centered pedagogical planning. The hypothesis predicted a positive association between the items mentioned above. Methods. The participants of the study were 43 early childhood educators and 165 children. The study was conducted in 15 groups within nine daycares across Finland. The data was collected through three questionnaires: SDQ (child's psychosocial well-being), WHO-5 (educators' subjective well-being), and Reunamo learning environment questionnaire (child-centered pedagogical planning). The statistical analyses were conducted with IBM SPSS Statistics. A quantitative item analysis was done to establish a child-centered pedagogical planning indicator. Three levels of this measure were identified (low, medium, and high). The analysis continued with performing a one-way analysis of variance between the levels of child-centered pedagogical planning indicator, the children's psychosocial well-being sum score, and the early childhood educator's subjective well-being sum score. Results and conclusions. The results highlighted that a high level of early childhood educators' well-being was positively connected with the high levels of child-centered pedagogical planning. However, regarding the children's psychosocial well-being and its association with the levels of child-centered pedagogical planning, a positive non-significant trend was observed. These findings raise awareness of the important connection between children's psychosocial well-being, early childhood educators' well-being and education provision. Additionally, they can be used in developing early childhood education practices.

The purpose of this study is to enhance the understanding of environmental education within the Chinese context. Although environmental education has been extensively studied and defined in the Western context, it has been present in the Chinese curriculum since the 1980s. However, it has often been neglected and is not a mandatory subject due to the exam-oriented education system. Consequently, various environmental education organizations have taken on the role of providing environmental education to children through outdoor environmental education programs. The research addresses one primary question and four sub-questions, focusing on the views of practitioners regarding the objectives and implementations of environmental education. Data were collected through online interviews with four chinses outdoor environmental education practitioners and two days of participant observation of an outdoor environmental education program. The data were subjected to qualitative content analysis. Key findings indicate that environmental education encompasses both an education philosophy and a comprehensive definition. Practitioners identified the primary reasons for conducting environmental education as personal significant life experience, helping children build connectedness with nature, enhancing children’s well-being, and benefiting children with special needs. Outcomes of environmental education include improved children’s environmental literacy, children’s personal development, and enhanced agency and creativity in children. Outdoor environmental education program challenges in implementation were related to parental attitudes toward education and a lack of suitable natural habitats. The results of the study offer new insights into environmental education in China and shed light on the potential contribution of outdoor environmental education programs toward environmental education.

Objectives. Emerging adulthood is characterized by a multitude of significant life changes. While the transition from adolescence to adulthood in the past was rather uniform, today, this developmental phase lacks clear characteristics (Arnett, 2000). Until emerging adulthood, schools have played a crucial role in shaping adolescents' lives. This study investigated the development of life satisfaction during this critical period, with particular attention to the influence of school track and gender on life satisfaction trajectories. Methods. This study is based on data from four-waves of a longitudinal study, encompassing questionnaire responses from 692 students, aged 18-25. Research questions focussing on overall life satisfaction trajectories, school track and gender differences, were addressed through the application of latent growth modelling for each of the three research questions, with the selection of the model demonstrating the best fit. Results and conclusions. The life satisfaction trajectories of emerging adults were rather stable and only showed a small decrease at the time of the financial crises in Finland. While the school track did not significantly impact life satisfaction trajectories, females reported lower life satisfaction during schooling, with their satisfaction levels later aligning with those of males. In conclusion, life satisfaction during the time of emerging adulthood remains rather stable despite the multitude of changes emerging adults experience during this phase. Nonetheless, significant inter-individual differences in life satisfaction trajectories persist, reflecting the diverse pathways of emerging adults.

This thesis aims to navigate doubt as a mental activity that occurs in a learning environment with more than one paradigm of knowledge. The thesis covers the gaps of lacking investigation of the perceptions toward doubt in a learning environment, learners’ experiences with doubt, and the endpoint of doubt as a mental activity. 6 adult learners with different backgrounds who encounter different paradigms in their learning environments are invited to individual semi-structured interviews. The thesis recognizes an individual’s experience as constructed knowledge and applies phenomenology as the methodology. Critical realism is used to analyse data qualitatively. As a result, what is described and experienced by individual learners are combined to form their perception related to doubt in their learning experiences. Then, four states of doubt are found in the progress of learning in an environment with multiple paradigms, including silence, comparing, sublation, and fusion or silence again. Finally, the essence of doubt is discussed with the evidence of the end of individual learners’ doubt.

Globally, the mental health of university students is a critical issue. This population has an increased risk for mental health concerns due to a multitude of psychosocial and economic stressors. Digital psychological interventions, particularly those based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) have shown potential in supporting psychological flexibility and mental health. This study aims to examine the effect of a digital ACT-based intervention course on the psychological flexibility and mental health of university students, measuring mental well-being, anxiety, depression, and loneliness. The sample of this research is 98 university students aged (21-52) enrolled in the digital ACT-based intervention course "Towards Better Well-being and Studying" at the University of Helsinki, during the autumn semester of 2022. These participants completed five questionnaires before and after the intervention to assess their psychological flexibility and mental health: the Work-related Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (WAAQ), the Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the short-form UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-8).The effectiveness of this intervention course was analyzed using repeated measures t-tests to compare pre- and post-intervention responses. Upon completing the intervention course, students displayed significantly enhanced psychological flexibility and reported improved mental health, characterized by elevated mental well-being, along with reduced anxiety and loneliness. No significant change was noted in depression levels. In conclusion, these findings support the efficacy of digital ACT-based intervention courses in enhancing the psychological flexibility and mental health of university students. They also highlight the pivotal role of educational institutions in promoting mental health and delivering psychological support to their students. Future research with larger sample sizes, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and longitudinal follow-up studies is recommended.

Youth mental health has become a central topic of public discourse. However, the significance of social structures, such as gender norms, for emotional wellbeing remains understudied in Finland. Previous research on men’s mental health has shown that conformity to traditional masculinity ideals can cause men to undermine their health or lessen their likelihood to seek help. However, these studies often lack the perspective of men’s agency in reproducing and challenging these ideals. To address this gap in research, the first objective of this thesis was to examine what kind of masculinity discourses young Finnish men produce. By analysing these discourses, I studied how young men view the gendered expectations to be connected to their presumed mental health. My second objective was to analyse what kind of reactions young Finnish men have to the public mental health discourses. Thus, the context of this study is within the broader mental health and gender discourses in Finland. The study was conducted applying a thematic discursive approach to the open answers in a large questionnaire data about young men’s mental health gathered by Nyyti ry and the Family Federation of Finland in November 2020. Thematisation served mainly as a tool to organise the data, while the discursive approach allowed me to examine how the masculinity and mental health discourses in the data were constructed, and to analyse the ideas and practices within these discourses that shape social reality. Young men produced three lines of masculinity discourses, which highlight how the traditional hegemonic masculinity ideals remain strong in Finnish society, upheld with narrow representations of masculinity. These ideals were portrayed as restricting, limiting the actions of young men, and to create gendered conditions of opportunity to show weakness, ask for help, and talk about mental health. As a reaction to the public mental health discourses, young men produced critical discursive reactions, illustrating how the prevailing mental health discourses are insufficient in quality and quantity, too individualised, and seen as discriminatory towards men. This research indicates a need to address the structural, gendered expectations in order to widen the positions available for men in society and to find useful solutions to support the mental health of young men.

The purpose of this study was to examine how participation in the Motivation Makes the Move! lifestyle intervention affects the psychological well-being of overweight/obese, previously inactive work-aged adults as a secondary outcome of the intervention. The aim of the study was to determine whether participation in the intervention enhances psychological well-being and whether there occur differences between intervention group and control group during the intervention period. The prior research on the effects of lifestyle interventions on the psychological well-being of overweight/obese adults is limited, making the further research of this topic important. While the psychological benefits of exercise are well documented, the relationship between exercise and psychological well- being in overweight/obese individuals is more complex, regarding several barriers for exercise related to weight. A common challenge has additionally been how to motivate overweight individuals to engage in lifestyle changes and healthy lifestyle habits. According to research, psychological well-being is linked to motivation to engage in and to maintain healthier lifestyles, hence further research in this topic is needed. The participants (N = 89) were randomly allocated into two groups: control group (N = 22) following general guidelines for physical activity and intervention group (N = 67) following individually tailored exercise prescriptions. Both groups underwent physical and psychological assessments at three time points: baseline (0 months), 3 months and 12 months. Psychological well-being was assessed through three measures, including RAND-36, PANAS, and BDI-II questionnaires which evaluate three dimensions of psychological well-being. These dimensions encompass health-related quality of life, positive and negative affect, and prevalence of depressive symptoms. Results were quantitatively analysed using two-way mixed design ANOVA to observe time x group interaction effects, as well as the main effects of time and group on participants’ psychological well-being. The aim was to examine possible changes in psychological well-being for the entire study population during the intervention period and whether there occurred any differences in psychological well-being between the groups at different time points. The results revealed statistically significant improvements in various indicators of psychological well-being throughout the whole intervention period across the entire study population, but statistically significant differences between the groups were not observed. The results indicate that mere participation in a lifestyle intervention program positively influences psychological well-being for overweight and obese previously inactive adults. Additionally, it was observed that both the intervention and control groups experienced initial declines in certain psychological well-being indicators, which later improved towards the end of the 12-month intervention period. This suggests that exercise interventions may initially have a slight negative impact on psychological well-being, but maintaining the exercise regimen can lead to subsequent enhancements. Furthermore, the study found that certain aspects of psychological well-being improved for the intervention group as the study period progressed, whereas for the control group they declined. Although these differences were not statistically significant, they may indicate the potential effectiveness of individualized lifestyle interventions over general guidelines in improving and maintaining certain components of psychological well-being over a longer period. However, further research is needed to confirm these findings.

Children and young people across the world are online more than ever. With this, comes the risk of experiencing online sexual harms and exploitation which can be sources of trauma and impact students’ well- being, mental health, behaviour, academic and life outcomes. Teachers can be trusted adults in their student’s lives with the ability to recognise these kinds of harms and abuse and offer effective support and intervention. Finland shows a steady increase in children and young people experiencing online child sexual harms such as online sexual harassment, grooming and exploitation and a rise in the media coverage of these issues. This seeks to discover student teacher perceptions of online child sexual harms and exploitation of children and young people, whilst examining what student teachers might need to be able to understand and respond more effectively. Data was collected with individual interviews that included open questions and action tasks with four student teachers from The University of Helsinki. The study was guided by trauma-informed theory. Interviews were analysed using a mixture of deductive and inductive approaches to thematic analysis. In doing so, three themes and five sub-themes were found. The results of this study were that student teacher participants showed varied perceptions of online sexual harms and exploitation, related to the nature of abuse, victim, and perpetrator characteristics. These perceptions influenced participant ability to recognise potentially harmful situations. Additionally, participants lacked formal training in these issues. Finally, participants expressed unanimous professional anxiety in terms of how to practically respond to incidents of online sexual harms and exploitation of students, indicating a critical need for teacher education programs at the University of Helsinki to provide a more comprehensive education for student teachers that addresses understanding, identifying, and responding to sexual harms and exploitation online.