Browsing by study line "Varhaiskasvatus"
Now showing items 41-60 of 94
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(2022)Aims. In this study the purpose is to describe physical, psychological, and social learning environment in three early childhood special education groups. This study is based on sociocultural theory where the development and learning of the child is seen to happen in the interaction between the individual and the environment. (Vygotsky 1978; Rogoff 2003, 2008). The aim of this study is to reveal how the learning environment supports the inclusion and peer interaction of child with multiple developmental disabilities. Methods. The approach to this study was ethnographic as the aim was to develop a diverse understanding of the learning environment. The data for this study was collected with LEANS- assessment scale (Strain & Joseph 2004, translated by Suhonen 2004) from three early childhood special education groups and by interviewing special education teachers. Data was also collected from documents regarding the organization of the teaching. In the analysis of the LEANS assessment scale qualitative and quantitative analysis where combined. Propositions in the LEANS assessment scale were evaluated with a five-step Likert- scale. Quantitative analysis was completed by reporting the mean of the propositions. Qualitative analysis was completed by describing the structure of the contents in the propositions. The interviews of the special education teachers were analysed with theory-guided content analysis. The two previously mentioned research materials were supported with documents including the organization of the teaching and by comparing the interpretation of the physical, psychological, and social learning environments. After the analysis of each research material the whole data was analysed with dialogic thematization which enabled the construction of the themes of the learning environment. Findings and conclusions. The themes of the learning environments were created by the dialogic thematization. These themes where: the construction of the physical and immaterial material in the learning environment, sustaining the emotional well-being and positive atmosphere, and supporting and reinforcing the individual skills and peer interaction. The fulfilment of the inclusion and peer interaction of child with multiple developmental disabilities is seen as a multidimensional process which requires the presence of physical, psychological, and social learning environment. High-quality elements can be identified from the construction of the learning environment. However successful inclusion and peer interaction in the learning environment requires the awareness of the efficiency of these elements from the early childhood educator. This highlights the role of the early childhood educator in high-quality learning environments.
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(2022)The purpose of this study is to examine the way in which sexual education is discussed in educational trade journals in Finland. The subject of the study is the sexual education of young children of 0 to 12 years old. The intention is to also look at how the writings that emerge are related to the obligatory educational documents in Finland. Methodological bases for this study are post-structuralism and feminist methodology. Through a critical approach to research’s content, this research also aims at societal debate and, ultimately, change. The material used in the study is three volumes of Lastentarha and Opettaja journals, a total of eighty-one (81) journals. These materials are examined by means of critical discourse analysis (CDA), highlighting both the tone of writing and their possible origins and purposes. At the same time, the discursive exercise of power by media emerges, the effects of which I discuss in the emergence of discourses. The results show that there is little talk in the magazines about sexual education. Still, issues related to the content of sexual education are talked about, and discursive ways that focus on one's own ideologies can be observed. At the same time, the tone of writing about sexual education are coloured by the activities that focus on self-evident views and the defensiveness of the theme within its taboo-like status.
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(2023)The purpose of my study is to provide a holistic view of childhood grief from the perspective of student teachers in early childhood education. The aim is to identify typical ways of mourning in childhood and the meanings given to childhood grief in the students' grief narratives. The research data consists of grief narratives written by early childhood education students at the University of Helsinki. The data was collected as part of the research project Children's Grief and Cultural Practices of Mourning in Early Childhood Education funded by the Academy of Finland in 2021-2025. I use a narrative research approach to conduct the study. My study can be considered as a dialogue between the students' narratives, my interpretations of the narratives and theoretical knowledge. In the analysis of the data, I have applied both analysis of narratives and narrative analysis. In the light of the results, grief experienced in childhood appears as a holistic experience of loss, both personal and socially shared by the individual, characterised by meaningfulness and the co-existence of other emotions. The results of my study do not contradict previous research on grief, but support previous findings from a new perspective.
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(2021)Understanding the concept of participation and its connection to equity is emphasized as education becomes increasingly diverse. Participation has been raised as one of the counterforces in the fight against inequality and therefore requires a strong knowledge base on equity. However, research shows that participation is not achieved equally and that children have unequal opportunities to belong and take part in a group. In my thesis, I look at participation in relation to inequality. The aim of this study is to identify and find the meanings, descriptions and solutions given to participation from the perspective of equality and examine how the solutions are formed. The research material in this study was fifteen opinion pieces in Helsingin Sanomat from 2011–2021. Opinion pieces in newspapers serve as a forum for current topics in education. Opinion pieces produced in a particular context made to influence can be used to locate individual experiences and connect them to larger societal issues. The dimensions of inequality in the context of education were identified from the opinion pieces. In the research material, participation was described through three (3) discourses: participation as strengthening, limited participation, and participation as documents and obligations. Solutions were constructed through five (5) discourses: individuality, hearing, belonging, responsibility, and investment. In the research material, parents and experts stood out as authors. I analyze the material in a discourse analytical framework, distinguishing broader discourses describing and producing partici- pation. In addition to this, I also examined the solutions by means of rhetorical analysis, which enabled a more accurate linguistic examination of their construction. Based on my research, participation is identified as a strengthening force, a prerequisite for learning, and a gateway to equity. However, in practice, participation is not achieved equally. Resource inequality and existential inequality are identifiable forms of inequality in participatory descriptions in the opinion pieces. Experiences of non-belonging expose an unequal position in society. Discourses that build solutions are linked to societal values about economic interests, increased understanding, and the privilege of being heard. The requirement for teachers, tutors and adults working with children is to continuously develop themselves and to break down practices that maintain inequality. In addition to inclusive pedagogy, teachers need to know and identify discriminatory practices and structures as well as separations between children. It is essential that the dimensions of participation and the different opportunities for children to have experiences of participation are identified and made visible.
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(2019)Involvement is a phenomenon that interests the researchers at the moment also in the context of a leadership. Involvement research in the early childhood education is focused on the involvement structures and possibilities of small children. At the moment shortage of the competent teachers and practical nurses and their commitment to the long-term work relationship however brings us back to the basic questions of leadership; how to lead involvement? The theoretical frame of this study is based on contextual model of leadership (Nivala 1999) which sees the early childhood leadership and the early childhood substance inseparable. I also use the theoretical frame of involvement created by Finnish National Institute of Health and Welfare that define involvement as closely related to the intrinsic motivation, possibility to have an affect to your surrounding environment and benevolence. My research task was to find out how early childhood education leaders experience leading involvement. What experiences they had about competence, distributed leadership and challenges that related to the industry? The study was qualitative and was based on phenomenological methodology which reach for the subjective experiences of the individuals. As a data I used the themed focus group interview material that was collected in the Eduleaders project training. Method of analysis was the theory-guided content analysis. In the results competence became a key factor in leading involvement. Leadership competence meant both common leadership skills and the ability to lead early childhood substance. Important were also the professional skills of the working community, teachers and practical nurses and their ability to work autonomously. Leading involvement was also based on functional distributed leadership that called for workable structures as well as the teacher´s competence in leading their teams and distributed pedagogical leadership. Early childhood leaders also saw joint leadership between leader- leader and teacher-teacher as a functional leadership structure in the future that may increase the experiences of deeper involvement. The challenges of leading involvement were the resources related to work as well as the current change in the operational culture, which challenged the definition of job descriptions and the involvement of a multi-professional work community. In the future the leaders hope for more innovative working style, experimentation and autonomy in relation to the mission of the early childhood education.
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(2022)Objectives. The aim of this study was to examine how children express their participation in their peer interaction during a playworld activity. In this study participation has been approached trough belonging to the group and influencing possibilities, since these has been seen as an important part of participation in early childhood education. Multimodality of interaction was also taken into account. The research questions were: (1) How does children express and build participation in their peer interaction during the playworld activity? (2) How can playworld activity been seen to affect children`s peer interaction and participation? Methods. The study was carried out as a qualitative video observation study. Video data was collected by filming the playworld activities of one preschool group, located in Helsinki metropolitan area, in the spring 2018. Data was analysed by multimodal content analysis and Atlas.ti (qualitative data analysis software) was also used as a support of content analysis. Results and conclusions. It was observed plenty of actions in the children`s peer interaction that showed and build participation. The children used both non-verbal and verbal ways of interaction when expressing group membership and sharing their opinion. The results of the study favor the thought that observing children`s participation is possible only by taking into account the non-verbal resources of interaction. Children were observed expressing togetherness during playworld activities as well as making plenty of play-related suggestions and speeches. The children used different interaction resources in their peer interaction in different stages of playworld activity. Playworld activity and the opportunities it offers for children`s peer interaction, can provide a good environment for children`s participation occur in the early childhood education.
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(2023)Settling in at daycare center is an exciting step in child’s and his/her parents’ life. Children’s literature is a one way to get ready for starting daycare. Through books child can safely handle excitement and nervous with parent when child is stepping into a new stage in his/her life. Child can find objects of identification in the books’ character, who has just started daycare. With the help of children’s literature, it is possible to study how the spirit of the time manifests itself in story, text, and illustrations of books. In this study, I aim to find out what kind of descriptions of daycare centers are made and how the start of daycare is described in Finnish children’s picture books. Qualitative research ways were used in this research. I approached the topic with hermeneutics. The source material was six Finnish picture books that were telling about daycare center or visiting or starting there for the first time. Onni ja Aada päiväkodissa (2021) by Maria Kuutti and Saara Söderlund, Miina ja Manu päiväkodissa (2008) by Teutori, Onni-poika menee päiväkotiin (2019) by Sanna Pelliccioni, Oona ja Eetu Päivä hoidossa (2010) by Katri Kirkkopelto and Mervi Wäre, Tomppa ja Kissantassut (2003) by Kristiina Louhi and Tatu ja Patu päiväkodissa (2004) by Aino Havukainen and Sami Toivonen. Based on the results, the children book characters felt nervous when they were starting at daycare center. Moreover, Finnish daycare centers are described to be nature focused, diverse and child-initiated places where works sensitive educators who put into practice high quality early childhood education and care. Based on the results, it is still possible to discern the influence of Froebelian pedagogic that has influenced the Finnish early childhood education and care system. The results also give an ideal picture of daycare center even if the real life is not exactly like that how the picture books are describing daycare centers.
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(2022)The purpose of this research was to study early childhood education meetings from the perspective of leadership and group processes. The research also clarified what factors leaders combined together with good meeting. The subject of this research is valid and current because there is no previous research from this specific area. Groupwork forms an essential part of working in early childhood education. It is important to see how leaders can make use of the information about group processes. Organizational research have shown that for example using facilitation can accomplish good outcomes. The aim of this research is to give an information to early childhood leaders on how they can plan even better meetings and use the time best way possible. The research was carried out as a case study. The research sample was six early childhood education leaders from the same city in the Helsinki metropolitan area. They were chosen in random. The leaders were interviewed by using a half structured interview. Interviews took place in the summer 2021. The interview material was then transcripted. The research methodology used was theory-driven content analysis. According to this research the most important meaning of the meetings is pedagogical development. Meetings offer employees a chance to impact their work and share professional knowledge. Good meeting is a combination of inner and outer factors. Inner factors were communication, participation and autonomy. Atmosphere and structure were the outer factors which made communication and participation possible. Leaders planned topics of the meetings but not how those contents should be processed. Group work was guided by using some methods like small group discussions or by leading the conversation into specific direction. Leaders also utilized different roles and leading styles. Some of the results can be identified as facilitation. For example giving responsibility to the employees and encouraging them to come up with the answers by themselves. By utilizing group processes and ways to lead the group, leaders can make a solid ground for learning and self-oriented community in early childhood education. This could partially be the answer to the challenge that most of the leaders in this research mentioned; there is not enough time for the meetings and professional dialog in early childhood education.
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(2021)Aims. Well-be and qualified early childhood education professionals ensure the quality of early childhood education. Pedagogical leadership that notes the fulfillment of psychological basic needs has the crucial role. Recently, however, leadership in early childhood education has greatly diversified. The purpose of this study was to clarify how the pedagogical leadership in early childhood education enables the fulfillment of the psychological basic needs of early childhood education professionals in their work. The aim of this thesis was to study the experiences of early childhood education professionals, how the fulfillment of psychological basic needs manifests in their work. In addition, the aim of this study was to find out the promotional and preventive factors related to the fulfillment of basic needs. Methods. This thesis is a qualitative case study. A theme interview was used as the data collection method. The framework of the interview was based on an interview formula measuring the fulfillment of psychological basic needs at work. Five early childhood education professionals were interviewed for this study. Theory–based content analysis was used as a method of analysis. Results and conclusions. The results showed that early childhood education professionals felt that psychological basic needs were filled quite well in their work. Fulfillment of psychological basic needs was associated with good pedagogical leadership. Based on the experiences of early childhood education professionals, the success of pedagogical leadership and thus supporting the fulfillment of the psychological basic needs of early childhood educators requires resources and leadership skills. According to the results, it is important to pay attention to the quality of the interaction, time available for the interaction, and the balance between work tasks and working hours. To support the fulfillment of the psychological basic needs of early childhood education professionals is essential to draw attention to adequate resourcing and the development of pedagogical leadership skills.
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(2023)The realisation of high-quality early childhood education (ECE) requires strong pedagogical leadership. Although there are fewer studies on pedagogical leadership at the administra-tive level of ECE organisations, it has been shown that leadership in ECE has a strong top-down direction (Fonsén, 2014, 182). In this study, I analysed the implementation of peda-gogical leadership at the upper-management level of an ECE organisation. For the purpose of this study, upper management refers to the level superior to a day care centre director. The study examines perceptions on pedagogical leadership among the upper-management staff of an ECE organisation. In addition, it discusses how they perceive their own roles as implementers of pedagogical leadership. Apart from the points mentioned above, the aim of the study was to clarify their views on micro and macro level interaction in an ECE organisa-tion and their preferred means to promote it. Qualitative methods were used for data collection. The dataset was collected using theme interviews. Five persons at the administrative level of a city’s ECE organisation participated in the interviews. The dataset was analysed using inductive content analysis. The results of the study indicate that the administrative-level staff of an ECE organisation have varying perceptions on pedagogical leadership, ranging from implementing the core mission to a broad perspective where pedagogical leadership is used as an umbrella con-cept for any leadership in ECE. The pedagogical leadership implemented by upper-management staff can be examined from three different perspectives: a pedagogical per-spective, the staff’s perspective, and a financial perspective. All interviewees recognised the waterfall effect in leadership, where leadership is seen as having a strong top-down direc-tion and insufficient interaction between different levels. The study results indicated this as an area of development that needs addressing. According to the interviewees, interaction between different levels could be improved by increasing pedagogical discourse, meeting with the staff, developing communication, and including different organisational levels more in decision-making.
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(2022)Aims. The aim of this study was to examine peer exclusion in ECEC. The main interest of this study was to describe peer exclusion during childrens actions while they play and communicate each other’s. This study also investigates how children acts while they exclusion others. Theoretically, the study draws upon conversational analysis approach of multimodal interaction. The research questions were: (1) What kind of is the peer exclusion in kindergarten, (2) What kind of is the social structure in situations of peer exclusion. Methods. This research was a qualitative study of interaction. The videodata used in this study was collected in a daycare center in Southern Finland in spring 2017. Data of this study consist of 25 episodes that were identified from the original 50 h video corpus. Children who participated in this study were between 1 to 4 years old. This studys episodes were analysed by multimodal interaction analysis. Results and conclusions. The peer exclusion occurred especially during childrens play. The child was excluded from play and play group. Peer exclusion appeared also using play material and toys. At that time, the child moved the toys away from the other child. Children’s birthday party conversations were also sometimes exclusionary. Exclusion occurred through language, gazes and gestures, body and body movement, and the use of material. Either one or more children participated in the peer exclusion. When one child behaved in an exclusionary manner the ”I”-speech, direct rejection speech and body movement emerged in the interaction. External factors of the child, such as younger age, were also appealed. When several children behaved in an exclusionary manner, exclusion became a group phenomenon, often verified through “we”-speech. Peer exclusion occurred especially when the adult was not present in the situation.
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(2021)The purpose of this research was to find out the experiences of pre-school teachers in the use of digital service related to positive pedagogy in pre-school education. The theoretical framework of the study consisted of description of pre-school education and positive pedagogy. In addition, it examined what similarities can be found in the contents of the pre-school education curriculum and positive pedagogy. Character strengths and strength pedagogy, as well as positive feedback, were presented as more specific concepts. The framework was further specified by defining the concepts of well-being, pedagogical documentation, and digital services. The research is a qualitative interview survey based on phenomenological analysis. The interviews were executed as individual interviews remotely using Microsoft Teams. A total of three early childhood education teachers were interviewed. Interviewees participated in the City of Espoo Early Childhood Education and Positive Learning Oy joint development project. Among other things, the project aimed to teach children strengths in character through a digital service, as well as help them identify them. According to the research results, the teachers had mainly positive experiences to Huomaa hyvä! tool in pre-school education. They thought it worked well in supporting children's identification of strengths. Teachers themselves felt that they had learned to identify children's strengths differently than before and understood that something in children's activities that they had previously experienced as negative could be the child's strength in the right situation. In addition, they found that when they set a goal for some strength, it increased significantly in the group. According to the teachers, the tool also worked well as a tool for positive feedback. They felt that the positive feedback encouraged the children to reflect on their own strengths and thus they also learned to recognize them. According to teachers Huomaa hyvä! the tool served well as a tool for pedagogical documentation. They felt it was important to be able to return to the moments of success they experienced later and deal with them together with the children. The tool also supported their work and various pre-teaching processes such as action planning, implementation and evaluation. They felt that the introduction of the digital service affected their way of working as a whole.
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(2021)Objectives. The Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) has defined quality indicators for early childhood education and care (ECEC), which can be used to assess the quality of ECEC. According to the law (540/2018), ECEC is defined by a self-assessment obligation, which makes it possible to evaluate the pedagogical activities produced by ECEC staff. The study examined the quality of ECEC, from the perspective of quality process factors. The study was conducted based on self-assessments of ECEC staff. The aim of the study was to describe the factors that weaken the process quality of ECEC and to find out the effect of the educational background of ECEC staff on self-assessments. The study also examined development targets for the process quality of ECEC. Methods. The study was conducted in a mixed method manner using data and method triangulation. The research material was collected with an e-questionnaire. The survey was sent via social media to Facebook groups for ECEC staff. The study material consisted of 202 respondents and 260 open-ended responses. The research material was analyzed by appropriate methods using qualitative (content analysis) and quantitative (one-way analysis of variance) analysis. Results. The results of the study show that shortcomings in ECEC resources, professionalism and interprofessional co-operation were perceived as factors that weaken the process quality of ECEC. The results of the study also show that the self-assessments of highly educated staff differed from the self-assessments of vocational education staff, for one attribute. The research shows the need for comprehensive development work on the quality of early childhood education. Pedagogical activities in early childhood education must be enabled with sufficient resources and a well-functioning culture, and the well-being of staff must be safeguarded.
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(2021)Objectives. This article-based master’s thesis analyzes the different manifestations of autonomy that appear in Tove Jansson’s children’s book Comet in Moominland (1946). The objective is to describe and construe understanding of the expressions of different manifestations of autonomy by combining different perceptions of autonomy, inter alia appreciation of the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, Isaiah Berlin, and Veli-Matti Värri. Methods. The research was carried out as a qualitative analyzes. Aim was to reveal the essence of autonomy in the book by using the phenomenological-hermeneutical approach. The phenomenological-hermeneutics approach is understood in the study as an interpretation of the art of understanding. The study contributes an interpretation of the manifesting autonomy in the book. Results and conclusions. This thesis has provided a deeper insight into the manifestation of autonomy in the Moomin philosophies. This study has found that generally, it is possible to grow to a moral subject in the Moominvalley, it can be seen as the growth and responsibility of the Moomintroll for itself and its environment. The strengths of the Moomintroll and the entire Moomin world are empathy and openness, acceptance of others, which also have the potential to take responsibility for the current state of the world. The publication channel which has been chosen for the article: Reflections of autonomy, analyzing the revealing perspectives of autonomy in Tove Jansson´s Children book Comet in Moominland (1946) is Barnboken: Journal of Children's Literature Research. Article matches the focus of Barnboken ideally; article is a new approach to Tove Jansson’s children´s literature and educational philosophy, optimistically an innovative and creative interpretation of manifested autonomy.
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(2022)Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) is a founder of the first kindergarten. Froebelian approach has affected greatly in Finnish kindergarten pedagogy. Early on Froebel understood the signifi-cancy of early childhood and play. Part of his pedagogy Froebel invented six gifts which are logically advancing set of construction blocks. Because Froebel has a significant role in finn-ish early childhood education it is important to study Froebels pedagogy, especially the role of block play in todays early childhood education. The aim of this study is to look at the role of block play in the beginning of the Finnish kindergarten tradition and also study the role of block play in present-day. One kindergarten group in metropolitan area participated the study. The group consisted of 12 two- to four-year-old children. The study was made together with the Kindergarten Muse-um, which provided us the Froebelian set of construction blocks. Block play was videotaped. The study was done used by qualitative methods through observation. Video material was analysed using methods of content analysis. The role of block play was significant in the beginning of the kindergarten. Block play was a method to teach each subject the group was handling. The kindergarten group was excited about the Froebelian block play especially when using the set of giant blocks. Block play de-veloped mathematical thinking, observation skills and appreciation of beaty. Early childhood curriculum (2022) mentions block play as a method of practicing mathematics and technolo-gy. The role of block play has changed through time being in the centre of curriculum to one option to choose when it is time to play.
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Sähköisen ryhmäportfolion käyttö osana pedagogista dokumentointia Helsingin kaupungin päiväkodeissa (2023)Pedagogical documentation has been given high priority in the Early Childhood Education Plan (2022) and is seen as part of the implementation of quality early childhood education. The electronic portfolio is a tool in the process of pedagogical documentation. The pedagogical documentation process is the process of planning, implementing and evaluating pedagogical activities in early childhood education. In addition, pedagogical documentation enables the participation of children and parents. Previous research has shown that the pedagogical potential of pedagogical documentation has not been fully exploited (Rintakorpi & Reunamo, 2017; Ouakrim-Soivio & Kumpulainen, 2020). This Master's thesis aimed to explore how early childhood education teachers working in daycare centres in the city of Helsinki use the electronic group portfolio and what kind of capabilities they have for implement pedagogical documentation. The study was conducted using quantitative research methods. The data were collected with an electronic questionnaire from two early childhood education districts in Helsinki. The data was analysed using the SPSS software. The data were analysed using methods such as the mean analysis and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. In addition, the correlation of background variables with the survey results was examined using Mann-Whitney's U-test and Kruskal Wallis' test. According to the study, the electronic group portfolio is mainly used to describe the pedagogical activities and play of the group. In addition, early childhood teachers use the portfolio to clarify the pedagogical aims of the group to parents and to inform them about current issues in the group. The agency of children in the pedagogical documentation was limited in this study. Early childhood education teachers perceived their capacities for pedagogical documentation as mainly good, especially their IT skills according to this study. Among the pedagogical documentation capabilities, especially planned pedagogical documentation, perceiving the group portfolio as useful and understanding pedagogical documentation were positively correlated with the fact that the content of the group portfolio was varied and used as a tool for evaluation and development.
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(2024)This thesis aims to contribute more understanding of cuteness as a phenomenon related to power relations. Objective was also to further engage in discussion about the meanings of cuteness. The subject is relevant in early childhood education field, where cuteness is present both in the relations between adults and children, and with visual and material cultural products. The study takes a multidisciplinary perspective and addresses cuteness as a material, affective, semiotic, and cultural phenomenon. Theoretical frame of reference contains different and even contradictory perspectives on cuteness. Due to its affective potential cuteness can be interpreted as a motivation for nurturing behavior and an appeal to sociality. Anthropomorphic cuteness has humanizing charisma. Cuteness can be used both to frame objects with lovability and to objectify them as weak, but it also has ambivalent indeterminacy. This empiric study emphasizes theory as a part of abductive and interpretivist research. Taking a post-structural and feministic orientation, the study applies a discursive-deconstructive reading as analysis method (see Brunila & Ikävalko, 2012). The analysis aimed to locate binary hierarchies and to identify how cuteness works in these contexts. The perspectives on cuteness gathered in the framework were used as interpretive lenses in the analysis. The multimodal research material was assembled as a discretionary sample. It consists of two mutually different product of children´s culture, which are Molang -animation episode The Party (2015, Millimages) and Tatu ja Patu – Kovaa menoa kiskoilla (2020, Havukainen, A. & Toivonen, S., Otava). The power-related dimensions of cuteness were located in material-discursive practices which concern childhood and adulthood, emotion and reason, strange and normal, female and male, feminine and masculine, lovable and disgusting, animal and human, and immoral and moral actor. It is stated that cuteness has potential both for the use of power that objectifies the other and for resisting it. The results show how cuteness is connected to different contexts taking part in power relations. The results are considered to have value in the context of education. In discussion cuteness is considered as a contradictory phenomenon in its meaning that requires questioning of habitual thought patterns and ethical reflection. The possibilities of posthumanist and postqualitative research, the relationships between cuteness and humor, and the inexhaustible field of cute consumer culture are mentioned as topics for further research.
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(2018)The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of the Pieni Oppiva Mieli -intervention (MindUp™) in the day care centers children of 3 to 6 years of age on social competence as perceived by the staff and children's parents. In the study, social competence consisted of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, inattention, peer relationship problems, prosocial behavior and psychosocial wellbeing. The research questions are: 1. What is the children's social competence before and after the intervention? 2. How do the children differ on the basis of sex with respect to social competence before and after the intervention? 3. What are the differences in children's social competence before and after the intervention based on mother's or father's education? Previous studies have shown that mindfulness-based interventions on children have a positive effect on, for example self-regulation, emotional regulation, socio-cognitive skills, academic skills and social skills. There has been little research on the effects of socio-emotional programs on the young children's social competence, although various social skills training programs in early childhood are much in use. The study was part of the Pieni Oppiva Mieli -project at the University of Helsinki and was attended by 234 children from three different kindergartens in the metropolitan area. The study was conducted investigating the effects of a 30-week intervention on the day care group during the academic year 2016-2017. Strenghts and Difficulties form (SDQ-Fin) was used to investigate the difference between initial and final measurement, and it was combined with the information on the background information form, namely the gender of the child and the education of parents. The material was analyzed quantitatively by SPSS Statistics 24 -program using non-parametric tests as analyzing method; a Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, a Mann–Whitney U test, and a Kruskal–Wallis test. I also used a parametric t-test (Independent Samples) alongside the Mann–Whitney U test. The results indicate that the intervention might have positive effects on child's inattention, peer problems, prosocial behaviour and psychosocial wellbeing. Based on the answers provided by the staff, the results also indicate that the sex may have an impact on the initial and final measurement of conduct problems, inattention, prosocial behavior and psychosocial wellbeing. Based on parent's responses, the results are parallel, but narrower. Results of the boys were worse than the girls in all the sub-variables of social competence except for the peer problems. The research results of staff and parents of children differed from the impact of maternal and father's education on the child's social competence and development.
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(2020)HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO – HELSINGFORS UNIVERSITET – UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI Tiedekunta/Osasto Fakultet/Sektion Faculty Kasvatustieteiden maisteriohjelma Laitos Institution Department Kasvatustiede Tekijä Författare Author Ingela Mollgren-Gustavsson Työn nimi Arbetets titel Title Kielelliset virikkeet varhaiskasvatuksessa ja esiopetuksessa Oppiaine Läroämne Subject Varhaiskasvatus (VAKA) Työn laji Arbetets art Level Aika Datum Month and year Sivumäärä Sidoantal Number of pages Pro gradu-tutkielma Joulukuu 2020 70+14 Tiivistelmä Referat Abstract Tavoitteet. Varhaiskasvatussuunnitelman perusteiden mukaan toiminnassa on tuettava lasten kiinnostusta kieliin. Esiopetuksen opetussuunnitelman perusteissa korostetaan, että kieli on yhä enemmän oppimisen väline, jota käytetään viestinnässä ja ajattelussa. Tutkimukset ja kansallinen koulutuksen arviointikeskus ovat nostaneet esiin varhaiskasvatuksen ja esiopetuksen epätasaisen laadun. Puutteita on esimerkiksi lasten kielellisen kehityksen tukemisessa. Tässä tutkimuksessa halutaan siksi tuoda esiin sitä, kuinka kielelliset virikkeet toteutuvat varhaiskasvatuksessa ja esiopetuksessa. Tutkimuksessa halutaan myös selvittää, onko ”kielellistä kehitystä tukevasta toimintasuunnitelmasta” ollut konkreettista hyötyä yksiköiden kielellisessä työssä tutkimuksen kohteena olevassa kunnassa. Menetelmät. Tutkimusaineisto kerättiin kyselyillä. Kyselyt lähetettiin N=47 henkilölle, jotka työskentelivät erään Turunmaan kunnan varhaiskasvatuksessa ja esiopetuksessa. Vastausprosentti oli 70 %, N=33. Kysymyksien vastauksia analysoitiin kvantitatiivisesti sekä kvalitatiivisen sisällönanalyysin avulla. Tulokset ja johtopäätökset. Tutkimuksesta saadut tulokset havainnollistavat, että henkilöstön työskentely kielellisten virikkeiden parissa on monipuolista ja vaihtelevaa. Enemmistö henkilöstöstä tietää, että kirjat ovat erittäin tärkeitä lasten kielellisen kehityksen kannalta ja panostaa kirjojen sisällöstä keskustelemiseen. Yli puolet laulaa lauluja useita kertoja päivässä, kun taas loruja hyödynnetään vähemmän. Yli puolet henkilöstöstä hyödyntää työssään tablettia, pääasiassa kielellisen kehityksen edistämiseen. Suurin osa työntekijöistä on hyvin tietoisia omasta roolistaan kielellisenä esikuvana lapsille. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että ympäristössä voitaisiin panostaa enemmän teksteihin ja kirjaimiin, jotta lapset ymmärtäisivät niiden merkityksen. Lasten kielellisten taitojen dokumentointia tulisi tehostaa. Yli puolet raportoi, että ”kielellistä kehitystä tukeva toimintasuunnitelma” on vaikuttanut yksiköiden konkreettiseen työskentelyyn ja kertoo muuttaneensa laulujen, lorujen ja kirjojen parissa työskentelyä suunnitelman käyttöönoton jälkeen. Avainsanat Nyckelord Keywords varhaiskasvatus, esiopetus, kielelliset virikkeet, kieliympäristö, kieltä tukeva toiminta Säilytyspaikka Förvaringsställe Where deposited Helsingin yliopisto – Helda / E-thesis (opinnäytteet) ethesis.helsinki.fi Muita tietoja Övriga uppgifter Further information Ohjaaja: Solveig Cornèr
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(2023)Aims. The purpose of this study was to investigate how repertoires of practices around grief construct in the daily separations between the child and the parent during the first weeks after starting in kindergarten. The aim was to accumulate knowledge of the repertoires of practices around grief that are constructed in interactions between the child and the staff members. There has been a growing number of studies addressing grief as a socially constructed phenomenon but there is a need for more research concerning grief in early childhood education and during the transition into out-of-home day care. So far it has been proven that there are certain repertoires of practices to be seen in context of separations that demonstrate how a grieving child is encountered in kindergarten. Methods. This study was conducted as a qualitative content analysis. The research data were 14 narratives describing how a 1.5-year-old Leo arrives to the kindergarten and undergoes a separation from their parent to stay with one of the staff members. These narratives were analyzed by content analysis using a specific method of dialogical thematic analysis. Results and conclusions. The kindergarten staff used repertoires of practices such as compassionate and comforting touch and speech when confronting a grieving child. They either tried to direct the child’s attention to the separation and the grief caused by it or to the surrounding environment and events. The child engaged in repertoires of practices such as expressions of grief, trying to hold on to the parent and either objecting the comforting adult or accepting the offered comfort. The repertoires of practices were connected to each other and often manifested together either consecutively or simultaneously. Based on the results it can be stated that a grieving child is not left alone with their grief and that the child is confronted in a gentle and comforting manner during the separation. Respectively, the child was able to express their grief and to either object or accept the comfort the staff member offered. The study shows different repertoires of practices around grief that can be recognized in the reoccurring daily separations and leads us to discuss how we could draw more attention to the repertoires of practices around grief in the early childhood education field, both in practice and in research.
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