Browsing by Author "Schultz, Melinda"

Digital learning environments were introduced in the 1990s and have since then become a well-established part of today´s education. This study is written as the use of virtual learning environments increases rapidly, although it is still surrounded by challenges and uncertainty in regard to experiences, results and efficiency. Simultaneously, our society demands more of Finland´s educators than ever before, and the teaching staff is in greater need of support to manage the complexity of their work. The need for flexible, well-functioning in-service training was evident already at the beginning of the 2000s, which this study and the larger project are a response to. The aim of this study was to examine the efficiency of in-service training in a virtual context, to bring light to the challenges the participants still face, and to examine how the participants experience meaningful learning. The theoretical basis was Ausubel´s theory of meaningful learning, with additions by Jonassen as well as Ruokamo and Pohjolainen. The experience of meaningful learning was examined by five categories: commitment to teamwork, interest for the subject, discussion, professionalism and evaluation. The study is a part study in the LUMATIKKA-project, which is a cooperation between the Finnish National Agency for Education and a large number of universities. The data used in this study was gathered in 2018, through a survey sent out to participants in five courses within the project. The survey was completed three times per course to measure the experience of the participants and was filled out by N= 102 individuals. The statistical programme SPSS was used to process and analyse the material. The results showed that the participants had a positive experience in the LUMATIKKA-project, although the means of the categories commitment to teamwork and discussion declined during the courses. The participants who took part in the courses targeted at their specific school level were more satisfied than their colleagues in the general courses. No differences were found between the sexes. Differences were found in regard to age, showing that the younger participants were more negative than their older colleagues. Differences were found in regard to educational stage, stating that the teachers in grades 7-9 were more negative than their colleagues. Despite the differences in the sample, all participants were overall positive and stated that the courses felt meaningful to them. By offering well-functioning in-service training to teachers, we can support them in their profession and increase their competencies needed to educate the people of tomorrow.