Browsing by department "Beteendevetenskaper"

Although teacher’s work is guided by many norms, the practical choises and everyday decisions in school are the teacher’s responsibility. Teachers have to make many different decisions continuously and in most cases fast and intuitively. Because teachers are in a position of authority with their pupils it is crucial to consider the ethical aspect of teaching. The purposes and goals behind decision making have special significance in ethical analysis. That is why reflection, evaluation and contemplation are essential in teacher’s work. The aim of this study was to deepen understanding of teachers’ ethics and teachers as moral actors in the school system. In addition special attention was paid to ethical issues in teaching health education. The study was conducted as a qualitative study and the research data was collected using semi-structured interviews. The participants of the study were ten health education teachers who had taken part in training organized by MIELI Mental Health Finland (non-governmental mental health organization). The interviews were analyzed using data-driven content analysis methods. Teachers were asked to describe their own values and the values they wanted to impart to their pupils. Three larger categories were found in the values: common values, school-related values and values related to healthy life. The ideal of an ethical teacher was characterized by the combination of care and justice. Teachers also criticized teacher ideals and wished to highlight humanity as a part of ethicality. Teachers’ descriptions of moral conflicts were related to classroom management challenges and reflections on justice and fairness. Because health education deals with personal issues and sensitive matters, such as emotions and sexuality, teachers of the subject are expected to have special ethical sensitivity.

Purpose of this study. The purpose of this study was to find out, which elements do the or-ganizational trust of Esperi Care ’s unit managers consist of, whether organizational trust cor-relates with organizational citizenship behavior and with the intention to change workplace. According to previous organiational trust studies, organizational trust is related to employees’ engagement, work satisfaction, turnover and organizational citizenship behavior. Method. The data for this study was collected with an online survey sent out to Esperi Care’s unit managers (N=203) of which 103 replied to. The data was analysed with an explorative factor analysis, the correlation between organizational trust and organizational citizenship be-haviour was tested with Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and differences between groups were tested with a T-test, sorting variable being the intention to change workplace. Results and conclusion. The results of this study showed that the factors of Esperi Care’s unit managers´ organizational trust differentiated from theory consisting of management group’s action, area managers’ action and communication as well as openness and compe-tence of the organization. All of the trustfactors were related to the following factors of or-ganizatonal citizenship behaviour; altruism, conscientiousness, positivity and civic virtue. Unit managers who had intentions to change workplace had lower levels of organizational trust than the managers, who had no intentions for turnover. The results show how critical it is for the organization to build and maintain the trust of its employees as well as how within health care sector trust consists of the concrete actions of the management group as well as em-ployees’ managers. High levels of organizational trust has positive impact on employees and how they behave within their own workcommunity.

The aim of this study was to examine what kind of achievement goal orientation profiles can be identified and their relations to work engagement and job burnout among 30-year old employees. Usually researchers have adopted a variable-centred approach in achievement goal examinations, but this study was based on a person-centred approach, which allows for the study of multiple goals among employees. The data used in this study was collected as a part of the Finnish Education Transitions (FinEdu) -research project, funded by the Academy of Finland and Jacobs Foundation. The participants of this study were (N=372) 30-year old employees. Groups of students with different motivational profiles were identified using a k-mean cluster analysis. Group differences in work engagement and burnout were examined by means of analysis of variance (ANOVA). Four different achievement goal orientation profiles were found: uninterested, success-oriented, mastery-oriented, and avoidance-oriented. All achievement groups were of the same size, so there did not appear any exceptionally large or normative motivational groups of 30-year old employees in the study. Uninterested employees were the least mastery- and success-oriented in working life, but they also did not avoid working as such. The group of success-oriented employees emphasized the desire to learn, to succeed and specially to perform at work, and they were characterized by social comparison and fear of failure. The avoidance-oriented group just wanted to cope with work tasks, and they were not particularly motivated to work. Mastery-oriented employees were interested in learning and succeeding in the workplace. In this study, the mastery-oriented employees experienced the less burnout than the other groups, and the avoidance-oriented group experienced burnout the most. In work engagement assessments, mastery and success-oriented groups differed from uninterested and avoidance-oriented groups, and the results show that mastery- and success-oriented groups are more energetic, dedicated and immersed in work than employees who are uninterested and avoidance-oriented. These results support the idea that employers should recognize and draw attention to differently motivated employees, and they should be given different attention from the point of view of well-being at work. It is also important to examine well-being at work also from a positive construction, as it can open up new perspectives about work engagement.

One of the central tasks of universities is the education of doctoral candidates. Doctoral student motivations for attending university and approaches to learning is one way to examine the reasons for attending doctoral studies and how to approach research work. Student motivations for attending university and approaches to learning have previously been widely studied among students in tertiary education (eg. Côté ja Levine, 1997; Entwistle, McCune, & Hounsell, 2003; Entwistle & Ramsden, 1983; Marton, Hounsell, & Entwistle, 1984; Marton & Säljö, 1976; Parpala, Lindblom-Ylänne, Komulainen, Litmanen, & Hirsto, 2010; Hailikari, Tuononen & Parpala, 2016), but parts of these phenomena are lacking research in doctoral education (eg. Pyhältö, Peltonen, Castelló & McCune, 2019; Stubb, Pyhältö & Lonka, 2012; 2014; Deem & Brehoney, 2010; Litalien, Guay & Morin, 2015) and when viewing them simultaneously, there´s no previous research. Purpose of this study was to find out whether there´s to be found the same dimensions of student motivations for attending university and approaches to learning than in tertiary education. Furthermore, the interest was to find if motivations for attending university and approaches to learning differ by doctoral school or the length of the studies. Adding to that, student motivations for attending university were grouped by profiles in approaches to learning. Research material was conducted as part of a larger research project HowULearnPhD. Participants were randomly selected. 415 PhD candidates in University of Helsinki answered the questionnaire. This study showed that similar profiles in approaches to learning were to be found among PhD students that have been found in earlier research. Differences in student motivations for attending university and approaches to learning were found using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) both by doctoral school and length of the studies. PhD candidates of doctoral school in humanities and social sciences reported highest values in self-development motivation and deep approaches to learning. PhD candidates participating doctoral school in environmental, food and biological sciences reported lowest values in self-development motivation. Lowest values in deep approach to learning was to be found among natural sciences. PhD candidates who had completed the first year of their studies reported highest values in self-development motivation and lowest in default motivation. PhD candidates who had been doing their dissertation over six years reported highest values in default motivation and lowest in self-development motivation. All motivations for attending university and approaches to learning correlated significantly. In the future, more research about student motivation for attending university and approaches to learning and how they are related to PhD studies will be needed.

As the uncertainty in working life increases, a continuous career with a single employer, or even within a single industry is increasingly unlikely. These days it is not uncommon to undertake a career change mid-career, although it often requires further education. According to previous studies, the length of formal education might discourage people from engaging into a career change. The aim of this research was to study motives to participate in a recruiting training program for games industry, RekryKoulutus, and to study how the training program is described. The benefits of training programs have been studied, but mainly from the point of view of employability, while the aspirations of the trainees have been left with less observation. Games industry has traditionally attracted people with strong inner motivation and earlier interest in the field. The theoretical framework of this study is based on modern career theories, in which horizontal career transitions and individual’s self-initiative attitude towards one’s career are viewed as ordinary. Seven people who had participated in RekryKoulutus were interviewed for this research. The participants had taken part in the training program in different years in the 2010s. The participants were interviewed in April and May 2019. At the time of interviews, every participant was employed in the games industry. The data were collected with semi-structured interviews. The interviews were recorded, and they ranged between 35 and 80 minutes in duration. The data were analyzed with theory-directing content analysis, in which the theory guided the analysis, but the theory was also modified throughout the process. The results showed that the participants’ expectations of the training program were fulfilled. The reasons for applying to the program included prior interest to games industry and gaming. The training program was appreciated, and it was seen as a valid means to make a career change into games industry. The shortness of the program was viewed positively. Especially the on-the-job training in a gaming company was considered to be a possibility to build networks and prove one’s skills in the industry. Future prospects were perceived as positive. Results show, that the training program is a good option for making a career change into games industry.

The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between finnish first time parents reflec-tive functioning and impressions (representations) of the child. Theory and previous studies have shown connection between parents´ reflective functioning and the valence (positive – negative) of impressions or representations. The parents´ impressions of the child have previously been in-vestigated as representations, that are connected with reflective functioning and which affect the quality of interaction between the parent and the child. The purpose of this study is to offer knowledge for well-baby clinic workers. The sample consisted of finnish first time parents, with 355 mothers and 107 fathers. This low-risk sample was collected by online questionnare when the child was two years old. Associations between reflective functioning and impressions of the child were examined based on correla-tions. Between groups comparisons (mother-boy, mother-girl, father-boy, father-girl) were exam-ined by variance analysis. Correlations between parents´ reflective functioning and impressions of the child were largely as expected; robust parents´ reflective functioning was associated with positive impressions of the child. Results show what kind of impressions of the child are connected to reflective functioning in this study.

The goal of this master’s thesis was to search, what kind of advantages does peer group mentoring offer for HR-professionals and what kind of development of one’s expertise does peer group mentor-ing support. Theoretical framework of this study is based on observing four generations of mentoring (Kupias, Salo, 2014) related to three different kind of perspectives of expertise (Hakkarainen, Paavo-la, Palola, 2012). Different perspectives of expertise are seen as expertise as transferring knowledge, taking part in cultural actions and creating new knowledge. The biggest methodological difference between traditional one-on-one mentoring and peer group mentoring is working as a group and adapting the role of equal participant of the group. The purpose of this master’s thesis was to examine, what kind of roles are constructed in groups and how equal participants feel. One of the goals of this study was to examine, what are the best practices for a successful peer group mentor-ing program. The target group of this study consisted of 14 HR-professionals, who took part in Henry ry’s peer group mentoring pilot program. The main data of this study consisted of nine phone interviews, which were analyzed by semi-structured theme interviews. Data was analyzed by data-based content anal-ysis. In addition to content analysis this study has features of case study method. The goal was to gain on comprehensive description of peer group mentoring. Collegial networks and communal learning can be seen as strengths of peer group mentoring ac-cording to this study. Taking part to group conversations enabled personal development through scattered and disbanded resources, what can be seen as main benefit participants experienced in peer group mentoring. In this study peer group mentoring represented most participation view from the perspectives of expertise, as participants were able to reflect their own thoughts and learn new ways to develop their own work.

In my master's thesis, I examine entrepreneurship education in the context of neoliberal governmentality. I approach this phenomenon with analytics of power and governmentality developed by Foucault. My goal is to look at what kind of discursive reality is constructed in the entrepreneurship education guides for teachers, what kind of subjectivity is produced in them for students, and how governmentality appears in these, produced subjectivity. Since entrepreneurship education is seen in many studies as part of neoliberal change in education policy, I think it is appropriate to approach the topic through theory of neoliberal government as well. I selected five entrepreneurship education guides for teachers as my research material, one produced by Suomen Yrittäjät, three produced by the YES Network and one produced by the Ministry of Education and Culture. In terms of the nature and topics of my research, I chose critical discourse analysis as my research method, where it felt like a natural choice when I studied the power in discourses and governmentality that they produce. In my research material I searched discourses that were in a hegemonic position and that occur as natural truths. When I had found them, I focused my research in what kind of dominance were inside discourses and what kind of subject positions they constructed for students. I found three dominant discourses, individual, responsibility, and entrepreneurial discourses. The discourses constructed a reality in which students had to be individual and responsible, however, in such a way that individuality and responsibility appeared only as a certain kind of trait that served working life. Entrepreneurship turned out to be a requirement for the whole individual to be certain, both in terms of personality and action. The discourses built an entrepreneurial subjectivity in which students had to be rational, flexible, and moral, allowing them to automatically act correctly toward the market. The reality built by the discourses made these demands appear to the students as their best, in which case they want to implement them, that is, to control themselves. The subjectivity constructed in the entrepreneurship education guides appeared strongly to the neoliberal ideal individual, so entrepreneurship education could be seen as neoliberal governmentality.