Browsing by discipline "Specialpedagogik"

Objectives. The objective of this study was to develop a Easy to Read Survey of character strengths to be used with intensive special education students. With this survey and interviews this study examined the beliefs concerning strengths that the intensive special needs youth had. Theoretically this study is based on positive psychology and the VIA-philosophy of character strengths. The research done in the field of character strengths education in the context of intensive special education has been scarce. Assessment tools of character strengths suitable for Finnish intensive special education students have not been available. Character strengths education is one way to approach teaching intensive special education students focusing on their strong areas instead of their weaknesses. With this approach the learning environment of these students can be modified to better notice the student's individual qualities. By doing this, we can take another small step towards an inclusive school and society. Methods. This study utilized a mixed methods approach, and both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. The first phase of the study included the modification of the survey of character strengths to answer to the needs of intensive special education students. In the second phase of the study the Easy to Read character strengths survey was piloted in an intensive special needs class. Eight youth aged 12-14 years participated in the piloting and interviews. One special needs class teacher and three classroom assistants that worked with the students were also asked to evaluate the character strengths of the eight students. In the qualitative analysis, the interview data was analysed using a narrative approach, and different types of beliefs concerning strengths were sought from the interview narratives. In the quantitative analysis, the data describing the youth's character strengths that was collected from three different sources (the survey, the adults' evaluation and the students' self-evaluation) was compared. Finally, the result of the narrative analysis and the quantitative analysis were combined, when the narrative belief types connection to the coherence of the results of the survey and the conformity of the different evaluations was examined. Results and conclusions. The analysis of the narratives found three types of beliefs concerning strengths. These types differed in how the youth saw the meaning of the character strengths in their lives, and what kind of situations the students thought the strengths were needed in. The quantitative analysis found, that when the beliefs were more personal, the different evaluations of the students' strengths were more consistent. Overall, the result of the study showed, that the Easy to Read survey of character strengths identified some of the signature strengths of the intensive special education youth. However, the modified and shortened survey is not equal to the original VIA-survey in accuracy. Nevertheless, the results of this study show that the Easy to Read survey of character strengths is a useful tool in assessing the character strengths of intensive special education youth.

Objectives. Previous studies have shown that the sensitive interaction produced by adults is connected to the self-regulation and working memory of children. This is because interactions stir emotions in children. The processing of emotions is connected to the functions of the prefrontal area of the brain. These functions include self-regulation and the working memory. Children are more easily led by their emotions when compared to adults, and they need adult support in their self-regulation. Self-regulation has been shown to be a prerequisite for metacognition, and metacognition is an important component of the learning process. This study aims to find out how the interaction produced by an adult is connected to the executive functions of a student. The results of the study can be applied to interactions between adults and children in a general level, but special emphasis has been placed on immigrant children. The importance of interaction is emphasized when the child has moved from their own culture to a foreign one. Immigrant students are over-represented when looking at the decisions related to specific support, but according to various studies, the need for specific support for these children has not been demonstrated reliably. The study examines the interactive means that adults have at their disposal and tries to shed light on the interaction produced by adults. Methods. The material of the study is part of the University of Helsinki's Long Second data. The material was videotaped during the school year 2011–2012 in a preparatory class, twice a week. The approach to the study was through a socio-cultural learning theory perspective, because the socio-cultural theory focuses on the interaction between the environment, cultural tools, the individual and the community. The method of analysis applied was discussion analysis. The analysis was supported by a questionnaire on concentration, Keskittymiskysely (Klenberg, L., Jämsä, S., Häyrinen, T. & Korkman, M. 2010) which was used to analyse executive functions. One student was picked from the video material, and the changes in the student's executive functions were monitored in relation to teacher interactions. The material that was selected for analysis included four teachers. Results and conclusions. Four different types of adult interactions were discovered in the analysis phase. One of these interaction types shows genuine interest in the child. By utilizing dialogical discussion, this type of adult interaction makes students regulate their activities and speak Finnish. The more dialogical the teacher interaction was, the better were the student's own executive functions. The study also showed that rules related to the interaction improved the student's own executive functions.

Aims. The study examined teachers' self-compassion in relation to burnout, work engagement and the meaning of work. Previous studies have shown the positive effects of self-compassion on well-being. Little is known about the teachers' self-compassion and how it is related to work well-being. Studies have shown that a self-compassioned teacher has more positive attitudes towards inclusion and they are socio-emotionally more capable. Methods. The data was collected via an online questionnaire. The questionnaire was sent to special education students at the University of Helsinki. All the students had a degree in education, and at least three years of work experience in the education sector. Answers were received from 85 students. The questionnaire measured self-compassion, work engagement, meaning of work and burn out. The analysis of the data was done by statistical methods using the SPSS program. Results and conclusions. More than half (61.2%) of the respondents (N = 85) were in the group's average self-compassion level. The high self-compassion level was 14.1% of the respondents, and the low self-compassion level was up to about one quarter of the respondents (24.7%). A comparison between the three groups showed that the average level and high self-compassion level groups had better protection against burnout and higher work engagement than the low self-compassion teachers. The study showed that the meaning of work was in relation to self-compassion. High self-compassion level is in relation to lower burnout levels and higher work engagement. Teaching self-compassion skills to future teachers improves the well-being of teachers and could lower their levels of burnout. Teachers' well-being also increases the well-being of students.

Aims. The aim of this study was to examine the students' experiences of accessibility at the Faculty of Behavioural sciences, University of Helsinki. According to previous research, students face different barriers to study during their studies. These barriers have an effect on the students' ability to study. Based on the principles of accessibility, the study environment should be available to everyone both on a physical, physiological and social level. Not a single concrete barrier nor an attitude should set any insurmountable obstacles for the students. The ideology of inclusion has spread from the comprehensive schools to higher education to promote equality. According to the ideology, every student is accepted as an equal member of the university community regardless of his or her special needs. One of the views that has influenced the ideology of inclusion is the social model of disability. According to this view, disability is based on social arrangements and therefore it can be influenced, diminished or even removed. This study produced information about the types of barriers of study the students have experienced and in which ways they have tried to overcome these barriers. In addition to that, this study examined the means the students need additionally to overcome the barriers. Methods. 47 students of the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences at the University of Helsinki took part in this study. The data was collected with an internet-based questionnaire. The data was then analyzed by qualitative content analysis. Two different levels of analysis were created from the data. The first analysis level consisted of all 47 respondents. The second analysis level included those 14 respondents, who have a learning difficulty, a sickness or any other state that has an effect on their ability to study. The data was analyzed on both levels of analysis according to all three research questions. Results and conclusions. This study displayed that students experience a wide range of different barriers to study. On the first analysis level the barriers centered around the study environment, especially on the administrative frames of studying. On the second analysis level the barriers focused on the area of personal life, especially on the difficulties in learning and studying, and also distress and fatigue. Based on the results, the students possessed some means to use in overcoming the barriers to study, but they were also often forced to manage by themselves. The students required a wide range of means to overcome the barriers. The most vital means were support, guidance and informing, and changes to the concrete teaching arrangements.

In this study my aim was to find out if students' spontaneous communication changes when a therapy dog is present. People with ASD have challenges in communication which appear already early in the childhood. The challenges in communication reach also the area of spontaneous communication and at worst, a person with ASD can lack the ability to spontaneous communication altogether. An assistant dog placed in a family has been documented to improve and increase the communication of a child with ASD. In addition, animal assisted education has been proposed to improve the social skills of children with ASD. Animal assisted interventions have been researched in different kinds of clinical studies and therapy situations. It has been stated that the presence of a dog can increase the inter-action of the person with ASD, first with the dog and later on with humans as well. My research is a qualitative Master's thesis, where my target group was a class of six students of different ages, four of whom had been diagnosed with ASD and two with features of ASD. A therapy dog works in the classroom. For my thesis I filmed video data on four different days when the dog was present and on four days when she wasn't. I wrote transcripts of the data, and searched them for verbal initiations in communication. Based on those findings I did a content analysis and finally counted how many initiations were represented in different classes. I examined the amount of the initiations, to whom they were directed and how the communicative functions could be divided according to the criteria defined by Wetherby and Prizant (1993). I examined first the class as a whole, and later each student individually. The results showed that the presence of the dog increased the spontaneous communication of the students. The spontaneous communication nearly doubled. The spontaneous communication was most often directed to the teaching assistants when the dog was absent. When she was present, more initiations in communication were made towards the whole class. The presence of the dog clearly influenced most of the students in the class. The results show that the amount of spontaneous communication of at least four students increased when the dog was present. In addition, the quality of spontaneous communication enhanced for at least three students when the dog was present. Only one of the students was seemingly unaffected by the support of the dog when it came to spontaneous communication. The results indicated that the communicative functions were divided differently depending on the presence of the dog. In both situations, joint attention was presented most out of all the initiations. When the dog was present the amount of social interaction was increased significantly; when she was absent there was nearly none. The amount of behavior regulation was approximately the same, but when the dog was absent, there was a relative increase in protest towards an object or action. There were also differences when it came to joint attention: When the dog was present, the children commented more on the action, but when she was absent they shared more of their emotions and delight. The subcategory of emotion sharing also includes refusal and expression of negative interest. The greater amount of the initiations related to those explains their growth when the dog was absent.

Problems might emerge in the learning of students and support is then needed. In order to give sufficient support for students, several different instructions and regulations have been made to insure this, for example the model of Learning and Schooling Support. This model is meant to act as a guide for organizing the support and also to enhance early recognition of difficulties through assessment. Teachers are expected constantly to assess learning and difficulties in learning process of the students, and therefore tools of assessment are important in the supporting process. This thesis examines the tools of assessment used by special education teachers. It also examines how they evaluate these tools and what kinds of differences there are in the use of the tools between schools in the city of Espoo. In addition, this thesis studies the processes of Learning and Schooling Support, what kind of measures the special education teachers take if difficulties in learning or schooling are detected. The data in this study consist of questions answered by special education teachers working in primary schools in the city of Espoo. An electric questionnaire was used to collect the data. Questions were answered by 35 special education teachers who represent almost 50 % of all primary schools in Espoo. The data has been analysed in the means of quantified qualitative analyse. Both qualitative and quantitative information has been collected. Microsoft Excel software and manual arrangement has been used to produce different categories and to construct models of supporting. The intention was to create a description of the changes in the utilisation of diagnostic tools during the past 10 years and how well the procedures of the special education teachers were in line with the given instructions and regulations. The study points out that there is a variety of different assessment tools in use in Espoo and that there was no common policy for assessment tools in use even if the school had a plan for assessment. The city of Espoo only demands the use of Ala-asteen Lukutesti, and therefore schools and teachers were allowed to choose which tools of assessment they utilised. Despite the miscellaneous tools and the lack of precise instructions, special education teachers found these tools important when defining learning difficulties. Teacher also had mostly positive attitude when talking about assessment tools. The processes of support differed between teachers and subjects. Some deficiencies in the supportative processes were found even among those special education teachers who acted according to laws and regulations. In my opinion more time is needed for the correct procedures of supporting seen in the model of Learning and Schooling support to become established. In order to give effective support to students I suggest that teachers are trained and co-operation between different professionals is enhanced.

Aims. Changes in society and educational development of the school have brought new challenges to the teacher's work. Studies in the past have shown that special education teachers experience stress more than other teachers. The aim of this study was to gain information on special class teacher's experiences of the succeeding and the challenges they encounter in their job in the special class and how they cope with the challenges. This study also examines the kind of views that special class teachers have towards the changes of their work. Methods. Themed interviews were used as a method of this qualitative research. The research material comprised of five interviews with special class teachers who had at least ten years' experience in teaching pupils at the special education class. The data were collected and transcribed in January 2017 and analyzed by using theory-based content analysis. Results and conclusions. The results showed that the special class teacher's work involves a wide range of challenges, but also the experiences of success. The experiences of succeeding were related mostly to the interaction between the special class teacher and the student. The main advantage of special class teaching was seen as a better chance of taking individuality into account and the challenges associated with socialization problems. The challenges of the special class teacher's work was seen ia pupils' heterogeneity and problem behaviour, increased non-teaching tasks and too demanding parents. Special class teachers felt that pupils have changed more challenging in recent years and the valuation of their work has weakened. With inclusion special class teachers' work was seen lying ahead of co-teaching in the future. Coping at work was seen to vary depending on a range of one's own life or the work strains. Special class teachers showed up a wide variety of ways to cope with the challenges and to improve their coping at work.

Research objectives. The Special Education Strategy, the legislative change based on it, and the change in the Finnish National Core Curriculum for Pre-primary and Basic Education build the background for this study. An improvement initiative called KELPO was founded in 2008 to implement a new three-level support system in municipalities. To support this initiative, the Network of Intensified and Special Support in the Metropolitan Area was founded in 2010. The Network consists of 22 pilot schools from four metropolitan municipalities and the Centre for Educational Assessment at the University of Helsinki that carries out the developmental assessment of the initiative. The objective of my study was to form an overall view of the functioning of the Network. The data included interviews of 20 principals of the schools belonging to the Network. The interviews were conducted by the Centre for Educational Assessment in the autumn of 2010. The research question is: What do principals speak about the networking done inside and between the municipalities? Methods. I received the data as already transcribed for my use. I researched it using a narrative research approach. As a method I used both thematic reading and classifying narratives by the holistic-content. These methods belong under the analyze of narratives. I collected the narratives from the principals under themes that arose from the data delimited by my research question. The narrative analysis materialized by writing the research story, as a new story was built by the principals' stories theme by theme. The classification of the narratives by the holistic-content method was realized according to what kind of a gatekeeper's role each principal had. With a gatekeeper I here mean the intermediary role of a principal between the school and outside world. In addition, I used the analysis of interactive production of the narrative when applicable. Results and conclusions. Explicit features in the story of the Network were the principals', at least partial, uncertainty of the purpose of the networking, lack of time and resources, changing of initiatives, and lack of continuity. Positive narratives about ownership and empowerment could also be found. Nonetheless, many of the preconditions for success described by the school reform and school networking theories were not fulfilled. According to the collective story, there was no shared goal or purpose, and nor were the needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness fulfilled. Three different kinds of gatekeepers were found in the data: The Exemplary ones, The Survivors and The Losers. The distinguishing factor turned out to be sharing of information at school. Based on the narratives, the schools with principals taking care of sharing information were the most active in partaking in networking.

Previous research proved that problem behavior is related to academic success and dropping out from school. (Kauffman 1997, Goldstein 1995; MacMillan & Reschly 1998). Sup-porting studying of this dropout group is a vital part of preventive action against social exclusion. In Finland Education law enables support and special education in schools for those in need. There are students in special education whose teaching take place out of the school with special scheme. This small marginal of students will be educated by the school. Studying take place in extracurricular time. This study surveys this specific phenomenon and terms it home schooling. Its purpose is to clarify the process of home schooling from the teacher's point of view.This study will resolve what kind of goals do the teachers set for this kind of teaching activities. Additional purpose is to gather information of the reasons teachers name to be significant to process of home schooling. The research is qualitative by nature and can be characterized as a qualitative case study. Research data consist of five theme interviews. Two of the teachers were from elementary school and three from the Finnish primary school. All of them had experience of the process of home schooling. The stories describe overall home schooling of twenty-one students. Material was collected in Southern Finland 2012. Transcribed interviews were analyzed by using content analysis. This study clarifies that the aims of home schooling are different in elementary school and in the upper comprehensive school. Upper comprehensive school priorities are to secure getting graduation diploma from primary school and prevent social exclusion. In elementary school the main goal was to secure the child itself and its surrounding. The prior reason for home schooling in elementary school teacher named outwardly oriented behavior. Behaving was directly aggressive. Upper comprehensive school the main problem was inwardly oriented behavior. Students did not come to school or did not do school work. This scientific research reveals that in the teacher's point of view problem behavior, unstable home environment, weak academic performance and problems in social skills were the reasons that led to home schooling. Problems were often multifarious and imbricated. The teachers experience was that home schooling made studying possible, when the support in the school system was not enough. The information offered will further the process of developing home schooling.

Integration is realized at its best on social and psychological level i.e. through positive and approbative relationships. In Finland and around the world people with intellectual disabilities have been one of the most discriminated groups. In this study we concentrate on how the people classified as disabled have themselves experienced the realization of social integration i.e. the becoming accepted and integrated with the mainstream population. The study questions are: 1. What kinds of matters and experiences have reinforced the people classified as disabled becoming accepted and integrated with mainstream population? 2. What kinds of matters and experiences have undermined the people classified as disable becoming accepted and integrated with mainstream population? 3. What are the wishes of people classified as disabled have for the mainstream population in order to be able to experience they belong to the community better? The study material was acquired by interviewing seven people classified as disabled with by unstructured interview. The material was analysed and classified by utilizing material based content analysis. The results show that the realization of social integration still faces big challenges and also individual differences can be seen. It seems to happen through work life or hobbies especially with individuals that have worked for a long time in a normal workplace, or have friends belonging to the mainstream population. Several of the interviewees have no friends with no disabilities. Some interviewees have frequent contacts and socialized with their immediate family, but some of them, on the other hand, have no contact with their family or contact is very unfrequent. The professionals in the area, e.g. the directors of the particular housing unit, are the only sole or closer contact to the mainstream population for many interviewees. Other factors undermining the social integration are experiences of harassment and the use of the term 'retarded'. The wishes toward the mainstream population are mainly focused on human relations and interaction, like getting new friends, a closer contact with one's old friends and members of the family, as well as good and friendly treatment.