Browsing by Author "Tikkanen, Tinja"

In the spring of 2020, our daily lives changed as the corona pandemic became part of our everyday life. The corona pandemic has created significant societal changes, also bringing challenges to the realization of holistic well-being. Previous studies have shown how even before the global pandemic, the mental health problems of children and young people had increased significantly. The foundation of mental health is built in childhood, and the role of school institutions in promoting well-being has been widely demonstrated. The purpose of this thesis is to find out how the mental health of children and young people has been promoted in school institutions during the corona pandemic. In addition, up-to-date information on the promotion of mental health in teachers' job descriptions is added. Theoretical framework of the thesis is based on six methods of mental health promotion (Anttila et al., 2016; THL, 2021e), on the basis of which the aim is to deepen the understanding of mental health promotion and to create new current information. The thesis was carried out between May and December 2021. The material was collected during May and June with an open questionnaire from four different Facebook groups in the field of education. The sample of the thesis consisted of 41 Finnish primary and secondary school teachers, 37 of whom identified themselves as women and 4 as men. Participants ranged in age from 30 to 61, working in a total of 16 different provinces. The data analysis process was carried out during October and November by means of qualitative data-based content analysis, following a phenomenographic research design. The thesis revealed the role of interprofessional cooperation and the teacher as promoters of mental health during the corona pandemic, however, with a lack of resources in the background. Other challenges raised by the corona pandemic were also widely highlighted in the responses from both primary and secondary school teachers. In addition, the research results emphasized timely, empathic interaction that takes children and young people holistically into account. With the help of the research results, it is possible to examine the value base for promoting the well-being of the Finnish school world, at the same time drawing attention to the underlying shortcomings of our society. The research results could be applied in further research, for example, to compare the promotion of mental health in upper secondary schools and vocational schools, to examine the well-being of teachers at work, and to carry out quantitative research. This thesis creates relevant and up-to-date information for the well-being of children and young people, teachers, school communities and our society.