Browsing by Author "Huttunen, Anette"

Objectives. The aim of the study is to describe students’ perceptions of themselves and to provide information on the impact of a positivie pedagogy course on perceptions. The goal of positive pedagogy is to positively influence a child’s wellbeing in the school context and help them utilize their own strengths. Central to my own research are the dimensions of students’ perception of the self and the changes that take place in them. Methods. 1 fifth grade and 1 sixth grade participated in the study. There was a total of 35 students in the study. My study was a data-driven qualitative development study. The material was collected with a questionnaire and analyzed using the analysis steps of the phenomenographic research tradition. Results and conclusions. According to the study, students described themselves mostly positively. Different dimensions emerged from the material related to students ’perceptions of themselves. I described these dimensions as categories that were 1) my skill and area of interest, 2) me as a learner, 3) I as creative, 4) people relevant to me, 5) my external qualities, 6) I am life-affirming, 7) I am conscientious, 8) I am as an active actor, 9) as an insane, 10) as a friend, 11) as an empathetic, 12) as a profound thinker, and 13) the negative aspects of the self. The most important changes I observed were three changes, which were the lengthening of the answers and the increase in the vocabulary of strength, the change in perceptions to be more positive, and the focus of the answers more on oneself and one's own characteristics. Based on my research, I conclude that by utilizing the methods of positive pedagogy, one can influence the development of students ’positive self-perceptions.