Browsing by study line "General and Adult Education (in Swedish)"

Goal. The goal of this research is to investigate how the privatization within the Finnish education system, in the form of preparatory courses, has been affected after the student admissions reform in 2020. The students' choice of preparatory course, the participants' field of study and socio-economic background were investigated in more detail. After the student admissions reform, most students were admitted on the basis of grades as opposed to admission exams. Previous studies have shown that students who participate in these courses study more often on high compatible fields and have a higher socio-economic family background. Bourdieu & Passeron's theory of reproduction was used as the theoretical background. Methods. The research was carried out as a quantitative study where the data was collected by the statistics Finland. The survey was conducted as a web survey and was part of the Eurostudent surveys. The analysis was done with SPSS. In total, the sample consisted of 9782 university students divided into four distinct studies. Results and conclusions. The results indicate that participation in preparatory courses has decreased after the reform. In addition to this, participation among students who study on high compatible fields has decreased. Students with a higher socio-economic background still participated to a greater extent in preparatory courses. With the corona pandemic breaking out in 2020, however, it is too early to draw far-reaching conclusions. The results of this study can be used in future updates of the admissions reform.

The aim of this study is to give a more nuanced understanding about neuroatypical youth and possible challenges attending school. There is little knowledge about the school situation and SAPs for neuropsychiatric conditions, and few empirical studies on the additive effects of holding several neuropsychiatric diagnoses, or a diagnosis in combination with other symptoms (e.g. anxiety, depression). The bio-ecological and multi-level framework of factors linked to school absence, which is an application of Bronfenbrenner´s bioecological systems model, has been used in this study. The SAPs are classified according to types: school refusal, truancy, school exclusion and school withdrawal. The cutoff for when the SAP is problematic is different in different countries. In this study we used, the commonly used measure, missing over 10 % of school classes for persistent absence. Guardians of 789 youth (mean age 12 years, 68% boys) with neuropsychiatric challenges reported school non-attendance and reasons for this (the School Non-Attendance ChecKlist SNACK) through an online survey. Most of the children in the sample had multiple diagnosis (45 %, N=356). The groups with only one diagnosis were the ADHD 32% (N=228), Autism 11 % (N=81), Sensory hypersensitivity 2% (N=15) and Tourette .6% (N=5). During the measurement period the youth on average missed 4 school days. 82 % of the sample had current or prior SAP and the problems were for most of the youth onset before 7th grade. Persistent absence (over 10 % absence) occurred in 42.8 % of the sample. The most common reason for absence was non-problematic absenteeism (46%). School refusal was the most common of the four non-attendance types (36 %). Truancy (3%) was not likely for this group of students. SAPs were most likely for youth with ASD and multiple diagnosis. Overall, the situation for students with more than one neuropsychiatric diagnosis was most challenging with most individuals suffering from anxiety and/or depression, sleeping difficulties, learning disability and behavioral difficulties. The relationships in school with teachers and peers were often challenging. The situation was most worrying for the autistic and multiple diagnosis groups, these youth more often than the other groups are lacking friends. More than half of the group had now or before been bullied in school or during free time. Findings suggested that the school situation for neuroatypical youth is challenging.

Objectives. Nowadays a robust onboarding program is a fundamental requirement for companies in terms of sustainability and growth. A sophisticated onboarding program has been shown to improve retention, increase productivity as well as maintain and strengthen job satisfaction, motivation, and engagement. The study contributes to research in the human resource management field and particularly the talent management space. The core aim of this study is to provide insight into the onboarding process of a multinational company. Understanding what constitutes effective and good quality onboarding and what aspects of it contribute to a positive employee experience will support companies in attracting, engaging, and keeping talent, all of which are becoming increasingly challenging endeavours for employers. Methods. The relevant and primary stakeholders in relation to onboarding were determined to be new hires, hiring managers, and HR professionals who support the hiring process. The data was collected through online self-completion surveys with open ended questions. The responses of 97 respondents from 21 countries globally were analysed. I used a variant of interpretive content analysis called inductive content analysis, which means that I allowed the material to generate different themes and categories about my topic. The analysis was not guided by a specific theory, instead I attempted to position the findings in a more general theoretical context. Results and conclusions. Early connections, first impressions, preparation, integration, and networking, were seen by the respondents as something essential to the onboarding process, and stakeholders agreed that significant efforts are dedicated to maintaining the quality of those elements. Clarifying expectations and roles, comprehensive training, and support and mentorship were perceived as integral by stakeholders, but the stakeholders were not unanimous in their opinions of the implementation of these aspects. Furthermore, the perceptions of HR professionals and hiring managers contradicted each other when it came to their ongoing co-operation during the process. Finally, HR professionals and hiring managers agreed that the HR information system could be improved in a number of ways. The company’s onboarding process was seen as lacking longevity and robust support measures based on the findings, which is causing negative outcomes in terms of employee motivation and productivity. Moreover, the process was seen as lacking a defined, streamlined, and consistent structure, which is causing ambiguity and uncertainty for all stakeholders.

The purpose of this study was to research how the children in one early childhood education center exclude and include each other and what kind of tools the ECE-staff uses to support inclusion and prevent exclusion. The study also examines whether the children’s behavior matches the staff’s ways of describing exclusion and inclusion in the group. According to Helgekand and Lund (2016) exclusion is something children are most afraid of. Öhman (2010) points out that the excluding child has developed faulty communication patterns and manners for relations. Physically aggressive behavior is the most common and easiest to spot. Relational exclusion, like leaving someone outside the fellowship, is much more difficult to recognize (Öhman, 2010). The data collection consisted of 16 hours of observation of 19 five-year-old children and interviews with three different educators. The study was conducted in one Swedish speaking daycare center during December 2021 and January 2022. Qualitative content analysis was used for analyzing the data. According to the results, the most common way of excluding someone was ignoring another child non-verbally. The children also excluded each other verbally by saying to another that they are not allowed to play with them. The most common way of including someone was verbally asking someone to join them or non-verbally letting someone join in a play situation. Chosen and involuntary loneliness also occurred but the latter was slightly more common. The staff mentioned three kinds of ways of exclusion, verbal, non-verbal and unconscious exclusion. The unconscious exclusion refers to when the children do not notice if someone is excluded or alone. According to the staff, the ways of inclusion were verbal or unconscious inclusion. Tools for supporting the inclusion were playing stations, randomly drawn playmates, or using the program ‘SET in preschool’. The staff also mentioned the importance of spontaneous discussions with the children. Playing stations were often used, but the lack of resources led to very few spontaneous discussions or conflict resolutions.

Young carers have a responsibility to a close relative who, due to physical or mental reasons, has a reduced functional capacity. The responsibility is often kept within the family and affects the well-being of the young people in both a negative and positive sense. Difficulties with building friendships, lack of opportunity to participate in hobbies and reduced social capital are some of the challenges young carers face. Increased responsibility can also develop resilience and self efficacy. Young people spend a significant share of their time in schools. This makes schools a key player in the work of identifying young carers and supporting them in their everyday school life, as they have an increased risk of becoming marginalized. The objective of this study is to highlight these young people and make their voices heard. Furthermore, the aim is to find out how the care responsibility affects young carers’ and former young carers’ everyday school life and what kind of support they would need from the school. A qualitative, phenomenographic method was used for the study, which was conducted with semi-structured interviews. The informants were seven young carers and former young carers. The interviews were analyzed through a thematic analysis. The results show that the young carers experienced challenges in balancing the care responsibility and their own lives. Friends were considered important, but for the majority, social relationships were at times challenging. The young people appreciated the security and routine that school provided in their everyday life. They wanted more regular opportunities to discuss their burdens with student care and to be noticed by the school staff, especially by their own teacher. Tools for teachers are required to help them better engage with this group in a respectful way. Young carers must feel secure in sharing their stories with school staff. This requires the stigma, especially around mental health problems to be reduced. The young carers’ future study ambitions were limited by the care responsibility, which indicates that these young people also need attention in secondary education.