Browsing by Subject "koululiikunta"

Objectives. The aim of the thesis is to unravel the challenges primary school teachers face in physical education of visually impaired children. My goal is also to explore how primary school teachers would develop the physical education of visually impaired children. Earlier studies have shown that a visually impaired child joining sports class can cause uncertainty and sense of inadequacy among teachers. Due to the prevailing ideal of inclusion, children with visual impairment mainly attend school as a part of general education. Therefore it is important to reasearch the experiences of teachers, and thereby strive to develop the exercise opportunities of visually impaired children in general education. Methods. The method used in this thesis was a case study. The material consisted of five in-terviews with teachers that had taught physical education in primary school. Among the five interviewees there were three primary school, one special education and one physical educa-tion teacher. The interviews were partially structured and conducted in the spring of 2020. The analysis was based on qualitative methods, where emphasis is on content and thematic analysis. Results and conclusions. Several challenges became apparent from the interviews. The challenges were divided into three themes: workload of teachers, organization of high-quality teaching and barriers due to the impairment. The teachers’ views of the targets of development were again divided into four themes: teacher training, separation of classes, attitude of the teacher and planning of the lessons. The interviewees felt that teacher training does not prepare teachers to organize physical education for children with visual impairment. The teachers emphasized the value of additional training. The results show that there are still many barriers in physical education, but with sufficient support measures it is possible to overcome them and provide equal opportunities for all children in general PE.

Objective. The objective of the study was to describe the parents' perceptions on liability and safety issues concerning physical education in schools. The liability issue arose 2013 due to a certain accident that occurred during a school PE lesson. The discussion on the matter culminated when OAJ (The Trade Union of Education in Finland) considered whether accident-prone sports should be banned in schools. This study examined the parents' views on who or what is liable and which factors affect the division of liability among these instances. The challenges in teaching PE have been analyzed by e.g. Poutala (2010), Hakala (1999) and Segercrantz (2001). In their Master's Thesis Kainulainen and Tikkanen (2002) have looked at the due process rights of teachers and at how teachers would operate in the case of a hypothetical accident. This study researches how parents view a similar situation and whom they consider liable in it. Method. Five parents of comprehensive school pupils were interviewed for the study. During the interview the parents reported their views concerning the special characteristics of PE defined by Poutala (2010). These characteristics include supervision, problems with grouping, illnesses and the hazards they cause, equipment and clothing as well as transfers to the location of the lesson. The parents also analyzed two accidents taking place during PE lessons and pondered on liabilities there. Results and conclusions. In the parents' point of view one person alone is not liable at schools. The liability was perceived to divide among the teacher, the pupil, the classmates, the parents and the provider of education. The age and skills of the pupil as well as the possible risks of the sport were seen as contributors to the division of liability. The parents saw that the riskier the sport, the more liable the teacher was. The special characteristics of PE were not seen as problematic. When it comes to grouping during PE lessons the parents viewed that pupils could study in mixed groups with boys and girls throughout primary school. A minority of those interviewed thought that pupils ought to transfer to the location of the lesson with the teacher and that if the pupil knows the way, they could go home independently from the location of the lesson. Some of the parents would allow pupils to be left without the teacher's supervision in the case of a group division during lesson. This study provides an insight onto how parents view the safety issues and the division of liability in the teaching of physical education. With the help of this study teachers are able to liken their views to those of the parents'.

The purpose of this study was to research connection between physical condition and school success. Connection between physical condition and math grades was also measured. This is a case study and the material was collected from one secondary school in Helsinki during the school year 2010–2011. The study involves altogether 62 boys and 40 girls from the ninth grade. Physical condition was measured by Cooper-test which is used internationally. School success was measured by calculating the mean of pupils grades from theoretical subjects. Success in mathematics was measured by the grades of diplomas. The material of the study was collected confidentially with the administrational staff of the school and two physical education teacher in the end of the year. The purpose of the study is to find out connections between these variables, compare them and try to find out differences between sex. Good wellness and good shape is known to increase the quality of life and well-being. The theoretical part of this study closely looks at the concepts of physical condition, physical education, evaluation and succeeding in school. There was no connection between physical stamina and school success or physical stamina and success in mathematics in this study. The results from the cross table didn't show any strong or moderate connection. The reason that there was no connection found could be that the sample was small. Also the location of the school might cause some differences because the results might be different in the other parts of Finland. This study should be continued by long distance study and compare the results between different locations in Finland.

Previous studies have shown that physical activity of children and adolescents is decreasing. The task of school physical education (PE) is to support the growth of a physically active lifestyle and to provide positive experiences of exercise, in which case physical activities would also be transferred to leisure activities. A teacher’s pedagogical choices are linked to the formation of a favorable motivational climate in PE. The motivational climate has also relationship with students` motivation, enjoyment, well-being, and perceived competence. Therefore, it is important to map PE teachers’ perceptions of the motivational climate and a connection between a teacher's activities and the favorable motivational climate. The aim of this study was to investigate the motivational climate of PE from the perspective of PE teachers. The target was also to find out perceptions and practical solutions to support the favorable motivational climate in PE. The study was conducted using qualitative research methods. The research data consisted of essays and semi-structured interviews by seven physical education teachers. The data was analyzed by using phenomenographic analysis and content analysis. Physical education teachers divided perceptions of the motivational climate into the atmosphere and goal orientation during the lesson. The teacher's ways of working, a student, a student group, and a learning environment were seen to be related to the formation of a motivational climate. The importance of the motivational climate in the planning of PE teaching was reflected in the consideration of the heterogeneity of the student group, in the choice of contents and methods, and supporting task orientation. The favorable motivational climate in practical teaching situations was supported by teachers verbal approaches, their own attitudes, creating an inspiring learning environment, supporting student`s self-determination and goal orientation, as well as observation and response. According to PE teachers, the favorable motivational climate is related to quality of motivation, enjoyment, participation and trying in PE classes, as well as social relatedness of the student group. This study highlights the teacher’s perspective on the motivational climate and provides practical solutions to support a favorable motivational climate in PE.

The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to research how elementary school teachers implement the assessment in physical education after the reform of the assessment and evaluation in physical education. The purpose is also to find out, what kind of changes the new National Core Curriculum for Basic Education has brought to the assessment in physical education. The theory consists of assessment in elementary school, physical education and pupil assessment in physical education. Student assessment both in general and concerning physical education is presented by exploring among other things the Basic Education Act, the Basic Education Decree and the National Core Curriculum for Basic education (2014, 2004). The different nature of physical education as a school subject compared to other school subjects is also being covered. The research was executed as a qualitative research using e-form interview as the interview method. The e-form was sent to the teachers via e-mail and they all answered to the questions alone. Three physical education teaching elementary school teachers from southern Finland were interviewed for the research. They had all been a part of my Bachelor’s thesis’ research, too. The dataset was gathered in April 2018. The analysis of the dataset was executed by using theory directive content analysis with which the dataset was divided into seven different upper categories. These upper categories divided again under two main categories which were the implementation of the assessment in physical education and the teachers' views on the assessment. The research showed that teachers implement the assessment in PE quite similarly. The biggest change comparing to the teachers’ history in implementing the assessment in physical education was that the teachers used the assessment methods more diversely. They had mostly added a lot of self-evaluation and peer evaluation to their teaching in physical education. The research also revealed that all the teachers keep the National Core Curriculum for Basic Education as the premise of their assessment. The teachers emphasized in their assessment especially the pupils’ attitude towards physical education and their working skills, and their learning process in physical education, which are the fields that the National Core Curriculum for Basic Education (2014) orders to assess in physical education.

According to previous research, self-esteem has a connection with well-being, behavior and learning of a person. Well accomplished physical education enables supporting positive self-concept. The aim of this research was to study how pupils describe the ways class teachers have supported their self-esteem during physical education classes and to compare the answers to class teachers' methods they had used to build pupils' self-esteem in physical education. Theories and models related to self-esteem, as well as physical education at school, were examined as a theoretical framework. Five-dimensional model of self-esteem by Borba was chosen as the guiding theory of the study. The dimensions are security, selfhood, affiliation, mission and competence. 95 sixth graders participated a questionnaire, which had open questions and statements about building self-esteem in physical education classes. The answers were compared to 19 class teachers' answers about the same subject. In the study, the open questions were analyzed using theory-guided content analysis as a method. The study shows that according to sixth graders class teachers have succeeded to support pupils' self-esteem with several different ways, which also matched well with Borba's theory of building self-esteem. The sixth graders and class teachers had quite similar ways to describe the methods of supporting self-esteem. The corresponding methods were positive attention and feedback, setting easier goals, avoiding competition and emphasizing the significance of exercise. The review of quantitative statements showed that both pupils and their teachers considered creating secure feeling during physical education classes the most successful component. The results are useful when teachers consider methods to support self-esteem of pupils in physical education classes.

Aim. The aim of this study was to find out teachers´ views on coeducational and single sex physical education and formation of physical education groups in grades 3 to 6. The objective was also to examine teachers´ views on gender-conscious and gender-equal physical education. The study discloses arguments for formation of the physical education groups in grades 3 to 6 and ways to promote gender-equal physical educa-tion. The groupings of physical education are a current topic in the school world and the topic has been widely featured in the media as well. Study comparing coeducation-al and single sex physical education in Finland is still limited, and both the foreign and the largest studies in Finland have focused on secondary and high school age. Methods. The study was conducted as a qualitative research. The research data consisted of online questionnaire of 24 teacher who teaches physical education. The online questionnaire contained open-ended questions and background questions. The data were collected in April-May 2019, and the data were analyzed using theory-guided content analysis. Results and conclusions. According to the teachers in this study, coeducational and single sex physical education in grades 3 to 6 each had their own strengths and chal-lenges. However, the teachers considered that coeducational physical education in this age group had more strengths and less challenges than single sex physical edu-cation. The teachers found coeducational physical education as a better option in grades 3 to 6. The strengths of coeducational physical education are largely in line with the objectives of the current curriculum. There were many things that promoted gender equality in physical education. The physical education teacher and coeduca-tional physical education were clearly seen as the biggest influencers. The views, attitudes and craftmanship of the physical education teach-er were considered to affect a lot. On the other hand, the physical education teacher was also seen as the biggest obstacle for gender equality. The study provides per-spectives for current and future physical education teachers and others interested in the subject.

Aims. The aim of my research is to discover what are the opinions of elementary school students on studying in coeducational and single-sex groups in physical education. Additionally, I am researching which kind of groups elementary students would rather study in, as well as what varied factors affect student's opinions. Methods. The research was performed using mixed methods. The research material was gathered from questionnaires from primary school students (N=103) and upper comprehensive school students (N=108). There were 211 participants in total. The research's quantitative material was gathered by likert-scale statements concerning physical education, coeducational and single-sex groups of the questionnaire. The results were analysed by using the SPSS programme. Analysis methods used included mean values, cross tabulation, factor analysis and t-tests. The qualitative material was gathered by two open questions and was analysed by using content analysis. Findings and interpretations. Based on the results of this study, students like physical education and boys find physical education and participating in coeducational groups more positive than girls. Girls on the other hand find single-sex groups strengths more positive than boys. Almost all the students participating in this research had experience in being in coeducational groups in physical education. A slight majority of the students, 52,9%, preferred to exercise rather completely or generally in coeducational groups and 47,1% of the students preferred to exercise in completely or mostly in single-sex groups. From the students primary school both the girls and boys preferred to have physical education organised in the future in coeducational groups rather completely or in general. From the boys in upper comprehensive school a small majority preferred to exercise rather completely or in general in coeducational groups. In upper comprehensive school majority of the girls preferred single-sex groups. The people identifying themselves as non-gender preferred physical education to be organised completely or mostly in coeducational groups. Both coeducational and single-sex groups were described as nice environments from the perspective of fun, friends, togetherness and group size. Different ball games were the main reason through which students based their opinion on which group they would rather exercise in.

The idealized values of the media and especially social media are challenging to handle for a young person’s developing self-image and self-esteem. The ideal body featured in the media and its attempt to convey the “ideal lifestyle” can be harmful especially for children and young people. Eating disorders are common diseases and their growth is thought to be affected by social media. Children are already increasingly suffering from eating disorders that affect children's lives extensively. Eating disorders are serious and often long-term illnesses whose prognosis is improved by early intervention and treatment. Eating disorders affect younger and younger people, and therefore eating disorders are increasingly seen in comprehensive schools. Eating disorders affect children’s lives widely and also require the schools to take into account the special needs of those who fall ill and a wide range of special arrangements. The purpose of this study was to survey the experiences of people with eating disorders in comprehensive school about comprehensive school and studying there. The research material of the study consisted of six semi-structured thematic interviews conducted in october-november 2019. At the time of the interview, the interviewees were aged 19–39. The research material was analyzed by thematic analysis. The main themes of the interviews were the experiences of people with eating disorders with school health care, school meals, school sports, friendships and teachers. The interviewees' experiences of the mentioned themes varied widely, but for the most part, the memories of the comprehensive school period were quite negative. In the experiences of the interviewees, individual teachers and schoolmates came to the fore. Thus, individuals had had a major impact on how students with an eating disorder in comprehensive school had experienced their comprehensive school time. The main aim of this study is to provide information on how a student with an eating disorder may experience comprehensive school and how the specific features of the disease and the experiences of those affected can be taken into account at school. One of the most important findings is that in comprehensive school there is no ability to recognize eating disorders, except perhaps stereotypical anorexia. However, most people with an eating disorder suffer from something other than typical anorexia. In order to support a person with an eating disorder, the disease must be identified. Based on this study, experiences from comprehensive school are similar regardless of the type of eating disorder. It is very important to learn to consider the many forms of eating disorders so that the specifics of the disease can be considered in school.

Children are typically divided into different groups based on their age. At school children in the same class are mostly born within twelve months of each other. Based on their date of birth older children have a developmental advantage on younger children. In previous studies this has been named as the relative age effect. The purpose of this study is to discover whether the relative age effect is seen in the physical education grades of sixth grade students. The second interest of the study is to gather information from physical education teachers regarding grading criteria, and to debate whether the teachers beliefs about assessment account for the appearance of the relative age effect. Earlier studies indicate that older students of a class get better physical education grades than younger students This study used quantitative and qualitative research methods. Using quantitative methods the physical education grades of students from three schools in Helsinki were gathered. A discretionary sample was made up of 249 students, of which 127 were females and 122 males. The participating students had their average physical education grades and deviation calculated using the SPSS-statistics program. In addition the statistical probability of birth quarter and gender group was calculated using average physical education grades. An analysis of variance (Anova) was used here. In the qualitative portion five physical education teachers gave an insight into grading physical education. The methods used here were a phenomenographic approach and the material was gathered using an open thematic interview. The results of the study show that the relative age effect can be observed in the physical education grades of the sample group. Children born between October and December had lower grades in both gender and statistically their averages deviated significantly or very significantly compared to older children. From interviews conducted with physical education teachers some conclusions can be made that grading methods and criteria favour physically more developed students and those with better exercise skills. The results of the study show that the relative age effect needs wider studying so that the effects can be mitigated in the future.