Browsing by study line "Class Teacher (in Swedish)"

Aims This study aims to explore teachers in Aland Islands,' perspectives on the relationship between students' physical activity and mental health, aiming to understand teachers' efforts to promote both aspects and raise awareness of their significance. In today's society, students tend to be increasingly sedentary, coinciding with a rise in mental health issues among them. Particularly in Aland Island,, alarming statistics have emerged in the past year, indicating higher rates of mental health challenges compared to the rest of Finland. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how teachers in Åland perceive this relationship and what measures they take to promote both physical activity and mental health among their students.To gain insights into this connection, the following research questions were formulated: What importance do teachers in Åland attribute to physical activity for students' mental health? What importance do teachers in Åland attribute to students' mental health for their physical activity? How do teachers work to increase students' physical activity and promote their mental health? How do teachers describe the relationship between students' physical activity and mental health? Methods This dissertation employed a qualitative research method with a narrative analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three active teachers in Åland for data collection. The collected material then generated three unique narratives serving as responses to the central research questions in the dissertation. Results Teachers emphasized the positive effects of physical activity on students' mental health, citing increased energy, joy, improved social interaction, concentration, and stress management. At the same time, the teachers said that students' mental health can influence their conditions, endurance, and motivation to engage in physical activity.Students facing mental health challenges might struggle to find motivation and energy to engage in physical activity. To promote both physical activity and mental health, schools in Åland participated in various events and break-time activities. Ultimately, the study participants were convinced that there was a connection between students' physical activity and their mental health, even though the extent of this connection could vary. This thesis raised awareness of the link between physical activity and mental health, providing insights into how teachers in Åland worked to support students' well-being. It also emphasized the need for additional resources and support, especially in the field of school psychology, to effectively address these challenges and promote students' health and well-being.

The purpose of this study was to analyze and interpret primary school teachers' perceptions of job satisfaction. The aim was also to illuminate how job satisfaction appears in daily life for teachers and how important primary school teachers believe satisfaction with their work is. Job satisfaction is the most studied variable in organizations and job satisfaction usually refers to an individual’s general perception about their job. Problems have, however, accured in studies about job satisfaction since there is no general definition of it that everyone agrees on. Now job satisfaction is current in Finland since there was a teacher strike in 2022 and since studies have shown that many teachers in Finland are thinking about career turnover. Accordingly, I saw it as necessary to find out the perceptions that primary school teachers have of job satisfaction as a concept, its relevance in the workplace and what being satisfied with their job means to them. My study was a qualitative one with a phenomenographic approach. In phenomenography the focus lays on people’s perceptions of a concept and variances between the perceptions is an outset. Research data was collected through semi structured thematic interviews of primary school teachers who in fall 2022 worked in swedish-speaking schools in Finland (N=9). The interviews were transcribed. I analyzed my data through a phenomenographic analyzing model. The results showed that primary school teachers have varying perceptions of job satisfaction even though all teachers saw it as some sort of an attitude towards one’s job. Teachers connected the word to a.i.a. being satisfied, being content, sense a meaning, thriving or succeeding with/at one’s job. Job satisfaction was perceived appearing in many different ways at the workplace, a.i.a. in surveys, conversations with the supervisor, thoughts on colleagues, teaching, other job assignments and in private life. The teachers perceived that job satisfaction is a very important concept that should saturate all things at one’s work. Being satisfied with one’s job overall was considered to help you get through everyday life, manage your job and to simply be well.

This research clarifies managements perceptions of employees’ job satisfaction in distance work during the Covid-19 pandemic, and how this job satisfaction has been supported. At the transition to distance work caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a change in the working environment for many employees. Previous research shows that change in working environment can also cause a change in job satisfaction, therefor research in job satisfaction during the Covid-19 pandemic is relevant. This research was carried out as qualitative research, with semi structured interviews and thematic analysis. The sample consisted of four (4) respondents, representing management either as CEOs or HR-managers. The respondents have worked in their position both before and during the Covid-19 pandemic and can therefor compare and give insights about employees’ job satisfaction both before and during the pandemic. All organisations were small and medium enterprises and sales organisations. The organisations had previously taken part of a work well-being questionnaire. For these attributes it was expected that the organisations had been faced with similar challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that the management had similar prior knowledge about their employees’ job satisfaction. The results of this research show that in the cases where employees’ job satisfaction had not decreased after the transition to distance work, there had been many diverse types of supporting actions. In these cases communication had prioritised, and there was a strive for similar type of communication as the communication before distance work. With distance work becoming a more common alternative form of work, even post Covid-19 pandemic, it is important to be able to support distance work in an appropriate way. Furthermore, this research show that interpreting employees’ well-being is challenging, even in direct questions and discussion. Future research in how to interpret employees’ well-being and job satisfaction is needed.

Objective. The aim of this thesis was to map how teachers in Åland experienced the new, integrated subject of religion and worldview education, its pros and cons, and to find out what the rest of Finland could learn about the transition from the previous teaching method to the current one. In 2021, Åland transitioned to a common subject of religion and worldview education where all students are in the same teaching group regardless of their religious affiliation or lack thereof. Previously, Åland has the same form of religious education as the rest of Finland, where students are taught in different groups depending on their religious affiliation. According to Finnish law on religious freedom, students are entitled to non-denominational religious education of their own affiliation in school. Students who do not belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church or who do not have more than three representatives from the same religious community study worldview education. According to Eero Salmenkivi and Vesa Åhs (2022), Finland needs to renew its approach to religious education as the current approach is not sustainable in an increasingly diverse and pluralistic Finland. Salmenkivi and Åhs (2022) presented three possible models for the future teaching of religion and worldview subjects. Åland’s approach to religious education corresponds to model B out of Salmenkivi and Åhs (2022) three models. Method. Four teachers from Åland who teach the new integrated subject of religion and worldview education participated in interviews conducted on Zoom. the interviews were recorded and transcribed, and then analyzed through phenomenographic analysis. Results and conclusions. Participants had a positive experience with the new teaching method. Collaborative teaching allowed for open dialogue, and the participants viewed the discussions and equality as a strength in the new integrated subject. Challenges included the vagueness of the curriculum, unclear instructions and also the lack of teaching materials were seen as a challenge. To create inclusive religious and worldview education, religious literacy and minority representation are needed both in the planning process of the curriculum but also in the planning of the transition. Finland can learn from Åland the value of providing training during the transition and the importance of highlighting minority voices.

Research shows that motivation is an important part of mathematics learning. Without motivation to learn math, learning outcomes would be significantly worse. The purpose of the study is to find out what the motivation factors are during the mathematics lessons for grades five and six. Since previous studies also show that the teacher has a central role in creating and maintaining the motivation for mathematics, the teacher's significance for the motivation is also examined in this study. In the survey, 28 pupils from grade five and 24 pupils from grade six participated. In total, 52 pupils from three different schools in Itä-uusimaa participated. The material was collected during the spring of 2019. The survey is mainly quantitative where the material was collected through a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of two open questions, which were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. According to the results, the students were motivated during the mathematics lessons, they perceived mathematics as important and useful. The biggest motivating factor was the teacher's activity, where the students mentioned that a good mathematics teacher is kind, happy and helpful and has good subject and educational skills. A student with high internal goal orientation experiences the mathematics lessons as meaningful. High internal goal orientation was also associated with high values of one's own mathematical skills. The differences between the sexes and the grades were small.

Aim: The aim of this thesis is to investigate if an intervention in positive psychology can im-prove students’ subjective well-being and cultivate a growth mindset. The health in school study has shown that students experienced more school fatigue, difficulties with school as-signments and more anxiety and depression than before (THL, 2017; 2019; 2021). The pro-ject Study with Strength has developed an intervention course to support students in their everyday lives and my dissertation is written within this project. The study is based on two theories, positive psychology, and Mindset theory. Methods: The thesis is based on interviews of upper secondary students who participated in the Study with Strength intervention. Six students from different locations in Finland partici-pated in the study. The participants were between 16 and 19 years old. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted via video. These interviews were transcribed and then analyzed with a thematic analysis. Results and conclusions. The results in my research showed that all the students felt that their conscious presence and their relationships had improved after the intervention. Fur-thermore, the students found methods to deal with their negative feelings. The students felt that finding out their strengths had improved their well-being as well as given them more self-confidence. This shows that the intervention has a positive effect on how students perceive their subjective well-being. Further results showed that the students’ belief in themselves and ability to develop had a positive change. They also viewed setbacks differently and were less scared to fail. All the students had also learnt how to manage their stress differently which lead to them feeling less stressed. Some of the students felt that they had a more positive view on challenges. Half the students had a more positive view on feedback after the intervention. The results show that the students perceived that their mindset had changed towards a more growth mindset.

Goal. The aim of this thesis is to map the theoretical complexity of the much discussed and researched concept of inclusive education. Furthermore, it illustrates the concept from a practical point of view, using interviews with Finnish classroom teachers. Researchers describe the search for a definition of inclusive education as a difficult and unproductive task. Regardless of this, several previous studies have attempted to map and simplify the complex topic. This complexity is highlighted through a review of definitional approaches from previous research. Beyond the theoretical complexity, the practical perspective also suggests a diversity of opinions and solutions within schools. The implementation of inclusive education is described from the Finnish point of view, making visible the principle of support for learning and schooling. It should be noted that the 2014 National Core Curriculum for Basic Education (Finnish National Agency for Education, 2014) describes teaching in Finnish schools as inclusive. However, the document does not define the meaning of inclusion, leaving perception and implementation up to educators. Interviews with eight Swedish-speaking classroom teachers aim to support the understanding of the implementation of inclusive education. The analysis of the interviews is especially based on the teachers' descriptions of practical actions related to inclusion, as well as the motives for the actions. Method. The thesis is based on qualitative content analysis of eight (8) interviews with Swedish-speaking classroom teachers from eight (8) different Swedish-speaking schools and school units in southern Finland. The material that I analyzed is fully transcribed and anonymized interviews. The material was collected in 2022, as part of the University of Helsinki's research project MÅDIG: Diversity and differentiation in comprehensive school. Interviews were conducted with 21 class teachers and principals, but I only accessed one interview with a class teacher from each school or school unit in the project. Results. The research results show that the Swedish-speaking classroom teachers use a variety of inclusive teaching strategies in order to address current issues that affect the learning of heterogeneous student groups. The interviews reveal that inclusive teaching is largely based on practical prioritization and lack of resources, as evidenced by the fact that the majority of teachers' descriptions refer to the consideration of disadvantaged pupils, rather than all pupils. Consideration of disadvantaged pupils is relevant, as the functionality of teaching is based on consideration of them to a greater extent than consideration of strong pupils. In addition to consideration of achievement level, i.e., strength in learning, the majority of classroom teachers describe consideration of pupils' variations in language level and home situation. Teachers describe the implementation of inclusive teaching strategies based on current themes using differentiation, peer support and companion teaching. In addition to consideration of learning, teachers also describe in depth the maintenance of social community within the class, the school and with the home. For example, teachers use varied joint activities and open communication to consider social community. In correlation with previous research, inclusive education is illustrated as a multifaceted and complex ideal in education. The previous research largely aims to define and understand the meaning of the concept, while the interviews show a practical view of varying solutions to inclusive education. The comparison of theory and practice shows that teachers' inclusion is largely based on what is practically possible and their descriptions can therefore be considered non-theoretical. This has the risk of leading to teachers acting according to their own perceptions of a situation, instead of the important professional theory. Several teachers describe that they lack adequate resources, but also additional training in the consideration of all students. The thesis highlights the need for further research on the implementation of inclusive education.

International policy documents (FN (UN), 1989; WHO & BZgA, 2010, 2013; WAS, 2014; UNESCO, 2018) recommend that children should receive age-appropriate sexuality education, but it is unclear whether this is fulfilled in practice. There is relatively little research on sexuality education for younger students. Therefore, it is relevant to research how sexuality education for younger students is delivered. The purpose of this study is to describe how sexuality education is delivered in grades 1-2 in Finland and to examine teachers’ attitudes towards sexuality education for younger students. In this study I would like to draw attention to the potential of the Finnish curriculum when it comes to sexuality education. Five teachers, who at the time of the study taught grades 1-2 in Finnish primary schools, participated in this study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews that were recorded, transcribed, and analysed with thematic analysis. The results found that teachers had difficulties defining sexuality education. Teachers taught sexuality education across subjects, spontaneously and sometimes also unconsciously. Teachers need help defining what sexuality education is and what themes are to be addressed. Sexuality education should be made an evident part of the subject environmental studies in the Finnish curriculum. This can hopefully encourage teachers to teach sexuality education. The sexuality education was not really planned, evaluated, or developed in any of the schools. This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. Local plans for sexuality education should be written. The teachers had generally positive attitudes towards sexuality education for younger students, but in some situations sexuality education could be perceived as a difficult subject. Several of the teachers showed interest in promoting diversity and equal treatment in their teaching. This study failed in providing any deeper insight into how teachers work with norms in sexuality education.

Gifted students are a resource we cannot afford to overlook. Every student should receive encouragement and stimulation to develop his/her learning. Right kind of support and stimulation help the student reach his/her full potential. Together with a competent person, the ultimate limit of what a student can master can be found. The purpose of the thesis was to investigate the didactic methods teachers use to stimulate the mathematically gifted students in mathematics. To achieve this purpose, the research questions were formulated as following: ● How does the teacher identify a mathematically gifted student? ● How does the teacher work to support and stimulate the mathematically gifted student? The thesis was a qualitative study and data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Five teachers participated in the interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The results of the thesis show that since neither the curriculum nor teacher education do not provide guidelines, a framework or tools for identifying, supporting and stimulating gifted students, the respondents rely on their work experience, their observations in everyday school life and to the school´s possible action plan. The respondents' didactic methods represent various forms of acceleration and enrichment efforts. Coaching as an intervention is used sparingly. An interesting theme for continued research could be to investigate how the current national development measures are perceived to support teaching and learning in everyday school life when they are realized and put into use. The thesis can be used as a source of inspiration or a toolbox for, among others, teachers who want to orient themselves in the theme.

Goal. The purpose of the thesis is to identify, analyze and describe the underlying impact of digitalisation on equality and inequality between students in elementary schools. In addition, the relationship between democracy, participation and digitalisation is researched. Previous studies have shown that there are differences in teachers' and students' digital competence, technological equipment, digitalisation between different cities/schools. Studies have also shown that students' digital equipment and socio-economic background affect students’ academic success. Digital competence is a central part of the curriculum and relevant in today's changing society, as are equality matters. The remote-studies during the covid-19 pandemic and the number of digital tools in everyday life have also increased the need for digital tools in teaching. Methods. The study is a qualitative interview study within the framework of the research project "Digital literacy in development", DigiLi. The project started in the year 2021 and the research process is still active in 2022. The material received includes interviews with teachers in Swedish-speaking schools in Finland. The study uses ten semi-structured in-depth interviews with teachers in grades 5–9. In the interviews the topic of discussion was distance learning and digi-talisation, with a focus on digital resources, changes in teaching content and student participa-tion, student (in)equality, language awareness and collegial work. The audio recordings and transcriptions were analyzed using content analysis. Results and conclusions. The teachers feel that students have access to different digital tools among themselves. The economic situation of families can for example lead to weak internet connection and digital tools. The teachers also gave varying answers to questions about partici-pation in the digital environment; digitalisation and the use of digital tools can both promote democracy and participation in education as well as hinder or suppress it. The conclusions are that students have access to different teaching methods with digital tools between them, which is due to differences in the teachers' digital competence, the school's/municipality's resources and the student's (socio)economic status. The digitalisation of teaching can thus expand the already existing inequalities in society.