Browsing by Subject "qualitative content analysis"
Now showing items 1-13 of 13
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(2023)In education, changing the core curriculum usually results in changing textbooks because they should be based on the curriculum at least up to some level. In 2019, the Finnish upper secondary school level National Core Curriculum (NCC) was updated, and it was taken in use in August 2021. Since this NCC change is still recent, the need for researching it is evident. The publisher Otava updated their upper secondary school level English language teaching textbook series Insights to New Insights in response to the NCC change, which created an interest in how the series was modified to fit the change. Therefore, this research is set to show how the English teaching related guidelines in the NCC have changed and how the New Insights series has succeeded in its update with those changes in mind. The main data for the research consisted of the New Insights series’ electronic textbooks, as well as the 2019 NCC for upper secondary school by the Finnish National Board of Education. When the thesis was written, the New Insights series consisted of five books (New Insights 1–2, 3, 4, 5 and 6), and the research focused on all these available books. The Insights series and the prior 2015 NCC were also used for comparison, but the research did not go into detail about these past versions. Qualitative content analysis was used to describe the contents of the 2019 NCC and the textbooks to show how the textbooks have taken into consideration the NCC change and the concepts of the new NCC. In addition to content analysis, task analysis was used to give task-based examples of how certain aspects of these 2019 NCC concepts are visible in the New Insights series. Three major English teaching related NCC changes were identified in the analysis. They were the use of transversal competences as the learning objectives of the subjects, the increased guidance of the student, and the change from “courses” to “modules” in hopes for easy creation of subject-crossing study units. Corresponding to the NCC changes, three aspects of the New Insights series were presented: the visibility of transversal competences, emphasising the language profile and self-assessment, as well as the multidisciplinarity of the DIY tasks in New Insights 5. These findings considered, the research managed to show the relation between the 2019 NCC and New Insights, and it can be concluded that the New Insights series was visibly modified to fit the NCC change.
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(2021)This thesis explores what characteristics and expectations are associated with work and workers in contemporary North Korea and how those representations differ from other socialist countries and North Korea’s own past. The theoretical background demonstrates how different thinkers have conceptualized modern work as an ideological tool, specifically under socialism. Using workers as the nominal subjects in their legitimization narratives, state socialist regimes have utilized various practices to mix the reality and the ideal, praising workers as heroes while maintaining exploitation. The literary review covers previous research on the policy and propaganda about work across the Soviet Union, China, and North Korea, showing how the image of the ideal worker has developed according to material conditions and political goals of each place and period. As contemporary North Korean work has received less attention in studies, this thesis explores the depictions of work and workers in North Korea in 2012–2020. The analysis is conducted by using qualitative content analysis on North Korean English-language media. The data consists of magazines, newspaper articles and two films. Through analysing this sample of journalistic writings, photos and fictional films and texts, repeating patterns of representations about workers emerge as four major categories of characteristics: technological skill and innovativeness, unity and collectivism, correct morals and ideology, and self-reliance. Together these qualities make up the image of the contemporary ideal worker in North Korea. These findings suggest some shifts in North Korean ideology in the last decade compared to the past. The categories mostly follow familiar themes but from new perspectives and with different emphasis. The collectivist tendency and family metaphors are stronger, and the roles between different workers are minimized. The workers are increasingly shown as highly educated innovators and scientists. Despite the rising narratives on science, the revolutionary spirit is equally maintained as an important feature.
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(2024)Foreign language anxiety (FLA), defined as “the worry and negative emotional reaction aroused when learning or using a second language”, has been studied with increased interest for several decades. FLA can affect language learners academically, cognitively, socially, and physically, and it can be experienced due to multiple reasons such as learner- and teacher-related factors or the learning environment, as well as due to fear of communication, exams, and negative evaluation. Although FLA has been vastly researched, earlier studies have lacked interest in language teachers’ perceptions and attitudes on the phenomenon. Additionally, even though researchers have been intrigued by the different ways in which teachers can reduce students’ FLA, there has been less attention paid to what strategies teachers say they use in the classroom. Thus, this study aims to reveal Finnish lower secondary EFL teachers’ perceptions, attitudes, and ways of coping regarding FLA. This qualitative study was conducted utilizing semi-structured interviews as the data collection method and qualitative content analysis as the data analysis method. The data consists of four teacher interviews that were transcribed and then analyzed according to the research objectives. Concerning the teachers’ perceptions of FLA, none of the teachers knew a precise definition of the phenomenon before participating in the study. Nevertheless, they seem to be aware of FLA and can recognize its occurrences in the EFL classroom, identify anxious and non-anxious students, as well as identify what causes the most and the least FLA among students. It can be stated that the teachers have a neutral and understanding attitude concerning their students experiencing feelings of anxiousness in the classroom. The teachers feel empathy toward students who struggle with FLA and do not view having to accommodate these issues in the classroom as a problem but rather something that is to be expected. Additionally, they confess to sometimes feeling insufficient in their abilities to help their students regarding FLA and hope they would have more tools to aid them. Lastly, the teachers alleviate their students’ FLA in multiple ways, such as by modifying exams and by creating a positive learning environment. The findings suggest that language teachers should be offered additional help regarding FLA – whether it is by including information about FLA and emotions in language learning in teacher training programs or by providing in-service teachers with supplementary education on the subject. In the Finnish context, future research would benefit from increased focus on in-practice EFL teachers’ and student teachers’ perspectives on FLA as well as from investigating both teachers’ and students’ perspectives simultaneously for accurate comparison.
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(2013)In this master's thesis, I examine 21st century criticism of economic growth. The aim of the study is to understand what economic growth represents to growth critics. The research question is: what are the central themes of contemporary growth critique? The research material consists of three books: Tim Jackson's Prosperity without growth – economics for a finite planet (2009), Peter Victor's Managing without growth – slower by design, not disaster (2008) and the Finnish translation of Serge Latouche's Petit traité de la décroissance sereine (2007, Finnish translation Jäähyväiset talouskasvulle published in 2010). A qualitative content analysis was conducted on the material. In this method, manifest and latent meanings of the text are condensed and categorized in order to identify the key themes of the text. The analysis reveals three central themes in the criticism of economic growth. Each offers a different perspective to economic growth, to the proposed alternatives and to the opposition between growth protagonists and antagonists. First theme is growth as a phenomenon, which focuses on concrete ecological and social impacts of economic growth. The main argument of the growth critics is that the social and ecological costs of growth exceed its benefits in the western countries. In addition, they argue that economic growth cannot be viably combined with reducing ecological impact of human activities. The second theme is growth as an institution, which focuses on the institutional dependence on growth as well as institutional structures supporting growth. The critics' opinion is that these institutions now form a vicious circle in which people serve the economic growth and not vice versa. Also the proposed institutional change for disentangling society from growth is relevant to this theme. The third theme is growth as an ideology, which focuses on economic growth as a hegemonic belief and value system as well as a political goal above other goals. Under this theme, the growth critics promote emancipation and outline an alternative ideology. One main conclusion of the study is that the growth critics are not in favour of the opposite of economic growth, i.e. they do not promote a diminishing economy as an end in itself. Instead, their critique opens up a discussion on an alternative society which does not revolve around the economy and its size. However, this alternative is not pictured very clearly in the research material. It seems that the growth antagonists are able to describe what they oppose more elaborately than what they support. Another conclusion is that there is an internal tension within current growth critique. When examining economic growth as a concrete phenomenon the critics suggest indifference towards economic growth. Yet, under the other two themes the approach is everything but nonchalant since dismantling the institutions and ideology of growth will hardly be achieved without intentional resistance. Since the three books analyzed lean on and draw from earlier and contemporary references critical to economic growth, the three themes might be utilized in analyzing and understanding growth critique in general. However, this should be verified in further studies. What is more, when applied to other texts one might discover new themes not covered in this study. Because this study concentrates on the aspects that the three books representing growth critique have in common, in the future one should examine whether there are different schools of thought within the 21st century growth critique. Another interesting subject for further studies would be to apply the three themes to analyzing degrowth visions and possible degrowth experiments.
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(2023)Women’s empowerment, originating from the worldwide feminist debates that took place in the 1980s, has over the years become a widely used, yet a highly contested political concept. For instance, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), currently the leading political party in India, represents a powerful nationalist force that has emerged as a vocal supporter of women’s empowerment in the 21st century. In 2018, the BJP published a booklet titled Mahila Morcha Training Guidebook, in which the BJP intentionally seeks to elaborate its present-day party lines on women’s empowerment and women’s ideal role in society. The aim of this thesis is to answer the following research questions: In the Mahila Morcha Training Guidebook, 1) what does the representation of ideal womanhood look like? and 2) what meanings are assigned to women’s empowerment? Qualitative content analysis is employed as the research method, while the theoretical framework of the thesis consists most centrally of Jane Clare Jones’s radical materialist feminist approach to gender and patriarchy, Maria Mies’s analysis of capitalism as a manifestation of patriarchy, Uma Chakravarti’s conceptualisation of brahmanical patriarchy, and Cecília Sardenberg’s conceptual differentiation between liberal and liberating empowerment. The thesis builds on previous feminist studies on Hindu nationalist gender ideology and demonstrates that while the BJP’s vision of ideal womanhood includes both the very traditional idealisation of women as wives and mothers prioritising their duties in the domestic sphere as well as the more recent idealisation of Hindu women as socially active, heroic protectors of the nation that took hold in the 1990’s, it also includes a new element, which is the celebration of successful businesswomen and female professionals’ achievements and contributions to the development of society. As for the second research question, the thesis argues that in addition to certain nationalist elements, the BJP’s conception of women’s empowerment aligns with liberal ideals, economics and development goals when it comes to women’s participation in the public sphere of society, while conservative attitudes implicitly prevail when it comes to gender roles in the private sphere. Based on the research findings of the thesis, the BJP’s conception of women’s empowerment is compared to the early grassroots feminists’ one, in addition to being discussed critically from the author’s feminist point of view. The thesis concludes that the interrelatedness of the BJP’s turn in favour of neoliberal economics in general and its espousal of the liberal approach to women’s empowerment in particular is a consequential phenomenon that demands further feminist analysis
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(2021)Intersectionality as a concept is gaining increasingly more foothold in the academia, politics, and activism globally, also in Finland. The purpose of this study is to provide a systematic overview of the appearance, meaning and operationalization of intersectionality in the equality and non-discrimination plans of Finnish municipalities. Intersectionality has not been studied systematically in the context of policy in Finland, and thus, this study fills a notable gap in research. The closely related terms in the Finnish language, such as multiple discrimination, are included in the analysis. The study draws from the genealogical, theoretical, methodological, and paradigmatic discussions surrounding the concept of intersectionality. Qualitative content analysis was applied in the examination of the equality and non-discrimination plans of five large or middle-sized municipalities in Finland (Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Oulu and Rovaniemi). In addition, email conversations with the municipalities’ employees working with equality and non-discrimination promotion was used as data. The municipalities were chosen to the study with the criteria of involving relatively large cities from different geographical areas in Finland. In the analysis, the similarities and differences of the plans and their uses of relevant terminology are outlined. Intersectionality was applied in two of the municipalities in various manners. It was explicitly referred to as a tool for viewing overlapping identity characteristics with and without emphasis on gender as a central category of difference. In addition, intersectionality was vaguely connected to the deconstruction of discriminatory societal structures. Multiple discrimination, a concept which appeared in most of the municipalities, was not clearly distinguishable from the concept of intersectionality. An interest towards utilizing intersectionality and multiple discrimination more extensively appeared. However, both terms, especially intersectionality, were perceived as difficult to understand and connect to practice. Defining and explaining the terms better, training personnel, and unifying the equality and non-discrimination policies emerged as ways to improve the operationalization of the terms.
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(2021)Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, alternative online news media were predominately thought to spread false information on the coronavirus and heavily engage in conspiracy theories. The populist and far-right news outlets especially were said to strategically exploit people’s fears to further their own hate campaigns against migrants, political elites and the established media. This research aims to give a more detailed account of how five German populist far-right digital news outlets framed the ongoing crisis from January to May 2020 and managed to integrate the topic into their established narratives. For this qualitative content analysis, articles from the digital news sites of Compact, Junge Freiheit, Eigentümlich Frei, Deutsche Stimme and Zuerst were analysed regarding the topics, claims, actors and rhetoric devices that they used. The result of the study was that, rather than being swayed by strategic whims to exploit the crisis at all costs, the outlets relied on their established framing habits and were able to incorporate the crisis into all of their usual reporting. They were able to integrate the topic into overarching narratives, which not only confirmed worldviews held by their established reader base, but may also hold significant sway over new readers seeking reassurance in uncertain times. Finally, the thesis directed attention to the importance that language and presentation played in accomplishing this balancing act, establishing the need for further research on the language of the populist far right online.
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(2021)In this thesis I concentrate on diaspora peacebuilding and examine the potential of the Finnish Somali diaspora for peace in Somalia. My research question is, how members of the Finnish Somali diaspora perceive the greatest challenges and primary needs in Somalia for peace and their abilities to contribute to peace in the country. My research data consists of eight semi-structured interviews resembling themed interviews. These interviews were conducted with active members of the Finnish Somali diaspora, and I have analysed them by using qualitative content analysis. The aims of my research are to contribute to the current critical academic discussion on peacebuilding and to deepen the discussion on diaspora peacebuilding, as well as to bring out voices from the Finnish Somali diaspora regarding peacebuilding. In the theory chapter I review current academic discussion on the challenges of peacebuilding related to local ownership and negotiated hybridity and examine novel academic literature on the strengths of diaspora for peacebuilding. Drawing from both theoretical literatures, I suggest that diaspora could mitigate shortcomings on the peacebuilding field for example with the help of context-specific knowledge and a more nuanced understanding of actors and power structures at play in their place of origin, and by helping to bridge the gap between the local and the international. In the material analysis I examine the challenges and needs for peace in Somalia as perceived by my interviewees and their hopes and dreams for the future of the country. Moreover, I explore strengths of the Finnish Somali diaspora for peacebuilding in Somalia and challenges to diaspora peacebuilding as identified by my interviewees. The challenges for peace in my interview data mostly related to problematics of a long-collapsed state and economic or resource related power structures in a country suffering from an elongated conflict. My interviewees demonstrated an understanding of different actors and power structures at play in Somalia on both local, regional, and international levels. My interviewees understood peacebuilding in a broad way, and skills and knowledge transfer was a preferred mechanism of diaspora peacebuilding in most of my interviews. Capacity building and education transfer came up multiple times, and education and experience from Finland was considered highly valuable. Setting up businesses in Somalia was also considered positive as long as locals would be employed. These activities were presented as a response to the challenges in Somalia related to poverty and unemployment and hence radicalisation, especially among youth. Political involvement of the diaspora in Somalia was mostly seen as problematic. The greatest challenge for diaspora peacebuilding identified by my interviewees was the poor security situation in Somalia. From my research it is clear, that the diaspora is a heterogenous group just as the local or the international is, and there are generational differences within the Finnish Somali diaspora that need to be considered in relation to diaspora peacebuilding. Based on this study, I would encourage further research on peacebuilding and diaspora youth, and on diaspora-local relationships.
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(2023)This thesis examines Japanese castle reconstructions in the Heisei (1989–2019) and Reiwa eras (2019–) and links them to the ideas of cultural heritage and authenticity in traditional architecture. Japanese castles are opportune for examining the development of the role of architecture in cultural heritage throughout history. The role of castles as symbols of authority and later as symbols of local culture and history has changed according to the fluctuations of time and the needs of the contemporary people and thoughts. After majority of the feudal castles were demolished during Japan’s modernization, there have been three distinctive “booms” during which castles have been reconstructed. In the post-war era, dozens of ahistorical concrete replicas of castles were rebuilt concrete as local town symbols, and to many they symbolized the rebuilding of post-war Japan. From the early 1990s, however, a new castle boom has taken place, with the reconstructions emphasizing on using wood and historical evidence. Most notable of these reconstruction projects is the Nagoya Castle reconstruction project, in which the post-war concrete castle tower is to be demolished and rebuilt from wood using original methods and historical plans. This thesis examines these reconstructions in contemporary Japan, aiming to understand how authenticity and cultural heritage are related to this ongoing boom. In this study, a country-wide visitor survey on 10 Japanese castle sites was conducted, supported by two expert interviews from supervisors of two Heisei era castle reconstructions in Ōzu and Kakegawa cities. The findings supported the hypothesis, which suggested that the current appeal of castles is linked not only to their symbolic value to the castle towns, but also their value as objects of cultural heritage. This is why “authentic”, wooden reconstructions are preferred, which was evident from the visitor surveys, as all the respondents favored wooden reconstructions over concrete ones. Furthermore, majority of the respondents wished for more authentic castle reconstructions to be built.
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(2023)This thesis examines how the concept of Nordic added value is defined and understood in Nordic social and health policy cooperation. Although the concept serves as an evaluation criterion for funding and a guiding principle in all official Nordic cooperation projects and activities, there is no single, widely accepted view of the meaning of the concept. The goal of the research is thus to investigate and understand the underlying principle of Nordic cooperation, through which the research also supports the practical work of Nordic actors and institutions operating in the social and health sector. In addition, the research supports the implementation of the Nordic Council of Ministers' Vision 2030 action plan, according to which the Nordic region will become the world's most sustainable and integrated region by 2030. The research is mainly inductive in nature, and its conceptual framework includes an examination of Nordic cooperation narratives, the Nordic epistemic community, and the added value of transnational cooperation. It is a case study that investigates and compares the understanding of the concept of persons working in or with Nordic social and health policy cooperation at two separate levels of formal Nordic cooperation. In addition to survey and interview materials, the research analyses official Nordic cooperation documents using qualitative content analysis. The survey and interview materials were gathered from both the official level, which includes Nordic Welfare Centre operating under the Nordic Council of Ministers, as well as the practical level, which consists of several networks that Nordic Welfare Centre coordinates. The results of this study show that there are no significant differences between the understandings of the two levels, but the concept appears to be relatively flexible and ambiguous and dependent on the individuals using it. However, the concept can be understood in both symbolic and practical terms, whereby the former is closely related to the common background and values associated with the Nordic welfare state models, and the latter to the exchange and sharing of knowledge and experiences. The research shows that the greatest added value in Nordic social and health policy cooperation arises from useful comparisons that lead to learning, inspiration, and ultimately development both in individual countries and in the entire Nordic region. Although the research results suggest that a lot of added value is produced in the Nordic welfare sector, the study also highlights that many factors, such as lack of resources and administrative and language challenges, limit the realisation of the full potential of Nordic added value.
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(2022)Artificial intelligence (AI), as a constantly developing technology that is difficult to define, strains a society not prepared for its impact. On the other hand, AI represents the future and comes with many opportunities. The European Commission has taken both views into account in its policy for AI, the European approach to AI. The European Commission’s AI policy, that introduces a regulation-based approach to AI as the first policy initiative in the world, offers a timely and intriguing topic of study. This thesis critically examines how AI is represented as a problem in the European Commission’s policy over the course of a four-year time frame from 2018 to 2021. It uses a combined set of methods: qualitative content analysis together with Carol Bacchi’s WPR approach to inspect five selected European Commission’s policy documents. Four of these policy documents are communication papers with an additional white paper. With the help of qualitative content analysis, the main repetitive themes of AI challenges and opportunities are teased out. The WPR approach is used to examine the progression of the AI policy and analyze the problem representations found in policy. Research questions are the following: how has the European Commission’s policy on AI come about and how has AI been represented as a policy problem by the European Commission? The thesis presents the formation of the AI policy by going through policy documents over the period of four years. Additionally, the thesis demonstrates how the Commission’s AI policy is one piece of the puzzle that is EU digital politics aiming for technological sovereignty. From the Commission’s problem representation of AI, the challenges and opportunities, it is possible to analyze the implicit representations of AI in policy. Although, the policy highlights trustworthiness and competitiveness through its regulatory actions there are other aspects present as well. AI has been represented in policy through eight perspectives, including safety and security, ethical, legal, competitiveness, AI leadership, socioeconomic, ecological, and education. All perspectives rationalize ways for AI to be embraced inside the European Union borders and participate in the shaping of how AI is to be approached. The analysis of each category shows that issues related to safety and security, ethical, legal, competitiveness, and AI leadership seem to stand out whereas socioeconomic, ecological, and education matters are not as strongly stressed. Overall, this thesis has demonstrated how AI has been represented as a problem in the European Commission’s policy.
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(2018)For the last 20 years, the state administration of Finland has supported the development of wooden multistory construction (WMC) into the residential housing market. While the number of WMC dwellings has increased, WMC is still not a normalized construction practice. Civil servants—who are responsible for complying with national strategies while being tasked to satisfy the needs of Finnish citizens—are legally entrusted to oversee and approve the planning of all zoning maps. This authority includes the power to compel builders to comply with material preferences through zoning regulations. Regardless of this gatekeeping authority, they rarely enact such regulations. This qualitative study examines the attitudes and perceptions of civil servants regarding WMC. It also examines the civil servants’ interpretation of other stakeholder opinions towards WMC. The aim was to set a precedent for current-day beliefs about WMC from the perspective of this authoritative group, given no such in-depth opinions currently exist in the literature. Semi-structured interviews were held between May 2017-January 2018. 11 civil -servants holding high-level administrative roles in city planning and development from six different municipalities were interviewed. Based on qualitative content analysis of the data, interviewed civil servants held a variety of attitudes towards WMC. Support for the implementation of WMC was due to benefits incurred by the positive qualities of the engineered wood products, which permit flexible construction technologies that directly enhance citizen lifestyles, while supporting local and national economies. Hindrances in the implementation of WMC were a result of an operating environment with poor information distribution, few WMC industry actors and limited government policy measures to support project implementation. These factors trigger high risk and high cost. Material limitations were rarely discussed, but may result in high cost or project risk. The stakeholders whose opinions were most frequently discussed included the municipalities the civil servants represented, municipality residents, and private developers. The opinions of other stakeholders (e.g. end users) were rarely mentioned. Developers are reluctant to take on WMC projects due to bottom-line mentality and perceived development risk. Residents’ opinions are equally colored with interest and skepticism. Municipality opinions were mostly in line with the perceptions shared by civil servants. All stakeholders were perceived to have greater interest in WMC if risk or prejudice were dispelled through positive, real-world experiences or exposure to WMC.
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(2012)The goal of the thesis is to explore the contents of tasks in craft studies. The background of the study is placed in the experiences that both the scholar and other craft teachers have of difficulties in teaching designing. The data consists of tasks given to university students. The study examines the projects carried out in the university craft courses and the contents found in tasks designed by teachers. The study explores the following tasks found in the data: the phases of craft processes, design elements, and the action models of craft. The data of the exploration was collected from four Finnish universities, and the lecturers were approached by e-mail. The tasks including a craft project carried out by students were picked out from the data; there were 43 such tasks. The data was analyzed using the method of qualitative content analysis based on the theory driven approach. Classification frames were outlined with the help of the theory, and they were completed with the themes arising from the data. The phases of craft processes occurred in the data in many different ways: most usually, the tasks included the phases of design, manufacturing, and assessment. Ideation occurred the least in the data. Problems in design elements were examined from the following points of view: technique, material, and product. On the basis of these observations, the well-defined problems occurred most in the tasks. There were numerous design constraints, and most of them had technique-based manufacturing as a point of departure. There was a large variety of both verbal and visual representation in the tasks. Craft techniques, craft skills, and problem solving tasks were emphasized in action models of craft. Among these, there were less craft as self-expression and routine-like manufacturing of a product. The craft tasks followed the tradition of learning techniques and skills. However, the objective of holistic craft occurred in most of the tasks.
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