Browsing by Subject "tuki"

The purpose of this study is to examine what kind of trauma symptoms are shown to a teach-er when pupils have been previously living in a war zone or a conflict area. In addition, the purpose of this study is to examine what kind of working methods elementary school teachers have with traumatized pupils. The research questions are: How can war trauma affect a pri-mary school child? What good practices can be found for those working in primary school to work with a child who has experienced a war trauma? The study examines experiences of the appearance of war trauma in the school environment and good practices for working with children. Previous studies show that children living in conflict areas have a wide range of trauma experiences. Previous research also shows that a child’s mental well-being is im-portant to his or her learning. The theoretical framework of this study is described in the beginning of the study. The theoret-ical framework consists the definition of trauma, childhood and trauma, child and resilience and living in a war zone or a conflict area as a child. It also describes the importance of the pupil's mental well-being in learning and the teacher's support measures in primary school. In the interviews, the interviewees presented their experiences of working with traumatized chil-dren and their thoughts on good ways to work with children. Data analysis was the method of analysis in this study. Based on the results, teachers and others working with children had a variety of experiences working with children who came from conflict areas to Finland. They also had good practises to support these children. The study emphasizes the role of safe adults and safe environ-ments. The study also emphasizes individual working methods with each pupil.

The aim of this study was to examine the experiences of young adults who lost a loved one in primary school. The purpose is to increase understanding of how the interviewees feel about the school offering them support after the death of a loved one and how the interviewees' grief affected their schooling. Grief as a topic has been studied multidisciplinarily and internationally a lot. According to previous research, a person’s conscious or unconscious understanding of grief influences the way he or she encounters a grieving person. Foreign studies have found that a school has many opportunities to support a child grieving the death of a loved one. Finnish research on the subject is not available. The study was conducted as a qualitative study and its background philosophy was the interpretative phenomenological research tradition. The data consisted of thematic interviews of five young adults aged 18–29 and contained oral history based on experiences. The data was analyzed according to the six-step model of interpretive phenomenological analysis by Smith et al. (2009). Based on the analysis, the interviewees' experiences of the support received from the school were divided into five themes: the school as an administrator of everyday life, the support provided by student welfare services, the importance and support of one's own teacher, consideration of grief in the school's everyday life and practices, and improvement suggestions for schools. The effects of grief on school attendance were also divided into five themes: the needs and effects of the bereavement home situation on school attendance, studying at school after the death of a loved one, expressions of grief and grief reactions at school, moments when grief surfaced and the importance of the class community and friends. Although the results were divided into themes for the analysis, they partially overlapped in many places. The interviewees perceived the school's support as being divided into support related to the continuity of everyday life and support for dealing with grief and emotions. Support of the continuity of everyday life was experienced as the main and functional support from the school, but support for dealing with grief and emotions was needed more than what had been received according to experiences of interviewees. For this reason, the conclusions consider the functionality and accessibility of student welfare services and the need to develop school-specific guidelines to support dealing with a student who is grieving the death of a loved one.

Tutkielman taustalla on kiinnostus siihen, minkälaisiin tietoihin perustuvat lasten ja perheiden elämäntilanteiden ja tuen tarpeiden arvioinnit lastensuojelun palvelutarpeen arvioinneissa. Pro gradu -tutkielmassa kysytään, mitä tietoa on tuotettu lapsen ja perheen elämäntilanteen taustatekijöistä, huolenaiheista ja selvitykseen tapaamisiin osallistumisesta. Lisäksi tarkastellaan, minkälaisia ovat arviointien tyypilliset kuvaukset lapsen ja perheen elämäntilanteesta sekä tuen ja palvelujen tarpeesta huolien ja voimavarojen näkökulmasta. Tavoitteena on tuottaa tietoa Espoon lastensuojelun avohuollon alkuarvioinnin kehittämistyön tueksi, jotta lastensuojelun avohuollon työ- ja toimintatapoja sekä rakenteita voitaisiin kehittää tutkimustiedon, lastensuojelun käytäntöjen ja kehittämisen vuoropuheluna. Tutkimus kiinnittyy laajemmassa kontekstissaan yhteiskuntapoliittiseen keskusteluun lasten ja nuorten hyvinvoinnista ja syrjäytymisestä, jossa oleelliseksi on arvioitu ongelmien varhainen havaitseminen, niihin puuttuminen ja riittävä tarjottu tuki lapselle ja tämän lähipiirille. Kyseessä on laadullinen tutkimus, jonka analyysimenetelmänä on väljästi teoriaohjaava sisällönanalyysi. Siinä hyödynnetään Barns behov i centrum (BBIC) arviointimallin viitekehystä liittyen lapsen tarpeisiin, vanhempien kykyyn vastata lapsen tarpeisiin sekä perheeseen ja ympäristöön. Aineiston analyysissä käytetään sisällön erittelyä, joka on kuvailevaa tilastollista analyysiä ja temaattista sisällönanalyysiä sekä tyypittelyä. Aineiston muodostavat Espoon lastensuojelun avohuollon lastensuojelun palvelutarpeen arvioinnin 87 yhteenvetodokumenttia 13–17-vuotiaista lapsista vuoden 2015 heinä-, elo- ja syyskuulta. Tutkimuksen perusteella lasten ja perheiden elämäntilanteiden taustatekijät muotoutuivat mukaillen yhteenvetodokumentin otsikkopuun teemoja. Huolenaiheet rakentuivat puolestaan yleensä lastensuojeluilmoitusten tiedoista. Selvityksen tapaamiseen lapsi yleensä osallistui. Vanhemmista äiti tavattiin lähes jokaisessa arvioinnissa ja isä puolestaan huomattavasti harvemmin. Lapsen ja perheen elämäntilanteesta sekä tuen ja palvelujen tarpeen arvioinneista huolien ja voimavarojen näkökulmasta rakentui neljä erilaista arviointityypin kuvausta: yksittäiset huolenaiheet lapsista, pitkäkestoiset huolenaiheet lapsista, huoli vanhemmuudesta yksittäisissä tilanteissa ja lapsi vanhemmuuden huolien puristuksessa. Johtopäätöksinä voidaan todeta, että lapsen ja vanhempien osallisuus tapaamisiin arvioinneissa vaihteli. Lasten ja perheiden elämäntilanteet kuvautuivat arvioinneissa huolipainotteisina, vaikka voimavarojakaan ei sivuutettu. Yksittäisiin ja lieviin huolenaiheisiin yhteiskunnan tukea ja palveluita ei tarvittu. Toisaalta pitkäkestoisiin ja vakaviin huolenaiheisiin yhteiskunnan tuen ja palveluiden tarve oli ilmeinen. Tällöin käytiin institutionaalista rajanvetoa siitä, mikä tuki ja palvelu palvelujärjestelmässä on lapselle ja perheelle riittävää ja tarkoituksenmukaista.

The purpose of the study was to examine university students and recent graduates with reading difficulties. The aim was to explore what factors have contributed to the students and recent graduates applying for university studies despite their dyslexia. The aim was additionally to study strategies and means of compensation used by the students, their experiences with support received from the educational institutions, and the educational paths the students had taken. The hypothesis was that dyslexic students have had a slower and more laborious educational path than other students. Previous research on the subject has shown that dyslexic students have used a large variety of study strategies and compensatory measures, and family support, in particular, has played an important role in the study path. Timing of the dyslexia diagnosis has also affected the course of education. The study is a multi-case study with thematic interviews using narrative analysis. The research material consisted of seven theme interviews, which were transcribed and organized using the atlas.ti program. Narrative, chronologically progressive accounts were produced of the interviewees' educational paths. The narrative analysis of the material was based on the compilation of materials founded on twenty themes and examination of the narrative reports. The educational paths of the interviewees formed two clear groups. In one group, education progressed directly from primary school to high school and university. Students in the second group experienced long breaks in education and all did not attend high school. Almost all interviewees were diagnosed after elementary school, but the material does not indicate that the education process suffered from a late diagnosis. Not all interviewees needed support for their study paths because of dyslexia. On the other hand, certain students would have needed support but had not received enough. The interviewees had a variety of learning strategies and means of compensation. The study confirms that teaching early learning strategies and early implementation and design support would support dyslexic pupils. Family support was an essential resource for the interviewees during their educational paths.

According to the Pisa assessments, the number of students with poor reading skills has increased in Finland in recent years. Because of the poor reading skills, approximately one in ten students will struggle with their upper secondary studies and will not achieve an active social status. However, international studies have shown that reading comprehension interventions can improve students’ reading skills even in adolescence. The purpose of this study was to explore how the upper secondary school teachers experienced the teaching of reading comprehension skills for students with reading comprehension difficulties. The study focused on the teachers’ views concerning support of learning Finnish language and social studies. The study answers in three research questions: first, how theory-based reading comprehension support is organized, second, how do the reading comprehension difficulties affect Finnish language studies and social studies, and third, how the reading comprehension support could be improved. The study was carried out by using qualitative methods and following the principles of phenomenological-hermeneutical approach. The data was collected by interviewing seven upper secondary school teachers. Three of them were Finnish language teachers and four of them were special education teachers. The data was analyzed by using theory-based con-tent analysis and data-based content analysis. Based on the results, teachers use theory-based reading comprehension methods, such as reading strategies. However, there were differences between the schools’ structures of sup-port systems. Reading comprehension difficulties were connected with other multidimensional problems. The reading comprehension support can be improved by offering further training for teachers and promoting their co-operation. Besides that, positive attitude might have an important role on reading comprehension support.

Vanhemman päihteidenkäyttö aiheuttaa riskin lapsen turvallisen ja tasapainoisen arjen toteutumiselle, ja se onkin yksi yleisimmistä lapsen huostaanottoon johtavista syistä. Lapsen sijoittaminen kodin ulkopuolelle on koko perhettä koskeva kriisi, joka muuttaa koko lapsen ja hänen vanhempansa arkea, sekä ja vanhemman ja lapsen välistä suhdetta. Lapsen edun mukaista on, että suhde vanhempiin voi säilyä mahdollisimman hyvänä sijaishuoltoon sijoittamisesta huolimatta. Lastensuojelun tehtävänä on tukea lapsen ja hänen vanhempansa suhteen säilymistä ja tukea myös vanhemman kuntoutumista. Tutkielmassani tarkastelen päihderiippu-vuuden kanssa kamppailleiden äitien kokemuksia lapsen sijoituksen aikana. Tutkimuksessani tarkastelen millaisia kokemuksia päihteitä käyttäneillä äideillä on tuentarpeestaan sijaishuollon aikana, ja miten äidit ovat kokeneet sijaishuollon aikaisen tuen. Tutkimukseni tarkoituksena on tuottaa kuvailevaa laadullista tietoa asiakasäitien kokemuksista ja tuentarpeista. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu kuuden kohderyhmään kuuluvan äidin syvähaastattelusta. Aineiston hankinta on toteutettu kuusi kuntaa kattavan Keski-Uudenmaan Sote-kuntayhtymän alueelta. Haastatteluihin osallistuneet äidit tavoitettiin kuntayhtymän sijaishuollon sosiaalityöntekijöiden kautta. Tutkimusaineisto on analysoitu aineistolähtöisen sisällönanalyysin keinoin. Tutkimustuloksissa tarkastellaan äitien kokemuksia kahdesta toisiinsa linkittyvästä näkökulmasta: saadun tuen näkökulmasta ja tuentarpeiden näkökulmasta. Eri toimijoilla on merkittäviä rooleja äitien kokemuksissa saadun tuen kannalta. Näiden perusteella tuloksissa rakentuu viisi tuentarjoajan kategoriaa, jotka ovat: lastensuojelun työntekijät, sijaishuoltopaikat, päihdepalvelut, vertais-tuki ja perhe ja läheiset. Tulosten mukaan äideillä on tarve tulla kuulluksi ja kohdatuksi työskentelyn aikana, tarve toimiviin päihde- ja mielenterveyspalveluihin, tarve lastensuojelun suunnitelmalliselle työskentelylle, sekä sujuvalle yhteistyölle sosiaalityöntekijän ja sijaishuoltopaikan kanssa. Halu olla mukana lapsen elämässä ja toimia vanhempana, toimii myös motivaationa kuntoutumiseen. Äitien kokemukset sijaishuol-lon aikaisesta tuesta ovat sitä parempia, mitä paremmin yhteistyö lastensuojelun sosiaalityöntekijän ja sijaishuoltopaikan kanssa toimii. Myös läheisverkoston tuella on merkittävä rooli kokonaistilanteen ja saadun tuen kokemuksen kannalta. Lastensuojelun työntekijöiltä äidit toivovat ymmärrystä, kuulluksi tulemista ja suunnitelmallista työskentelyä asioiden edistämiseksi. Sijaishuoltopai-kalta äidit toivovat kumppanuutta, avoimuutta ja lasten asioiden jakamista. Parhaimmillaan äiti voi kokea sijoituksen tukevan van-hemmuutta ja äidin oman kuntoutumisen mahdollisuuksia. Tulosten mukaan äidit kuitenkin kokevat yhteistyön sosiaalityöntekijöi-den ja sijaishuoltopaikkojen kanssa toisinaan myös haasteellisena. Lapsen huostaanoton kokeneiden, päihteitä käyttäneiden naisten elämässä on usein kasautuneita ongelmia ja monenlaisia tuen-tarpeita. Äidit tarvitsevat tukea vanhemmuuteen, mutta myös omaan kuntoutumiseensa. Läheisverkoston tuki näyttäytyi merkittä-vänä tukena äitien kokemuksissa. Sosiaalityöntekijän rooli yhtäältä lapsen asioista vastaavana työntekijänä ja toisaalta vanhem-man tukijana ei ole yksinkertainen tehtävä, koska työntekijän punnitessa etusijaisesti lapsen etua voi äidin tuentarve jäädä toissi-jaiseksi. Lisäksi äidin voi olla vaikea kertoa avoimesti tuentarpeistaan ja ottaa tukea vastaan työntekijältä, jolla on samalla valta päättää lapsen ja vanhemman tapaamisista ja huostaanoton kestosta. Sijaishuoltopaikka, kuten sijaishuoltolaitos tai sijaisperhe on usein linkki lapsen ja äidin välillä. Saadun tuen kannalta on merkityksellistä, miten äidin ja lapsen arjesta vastaavan tahon yhteistyö sujuu. Äidin kokemukset saadusta tuesta koostuvat siis useasta toisiinsa linkittyvästä tekijästä, joilla jokaisella on merkitystä sen kannalta, miten äidit saavat tukea lapsen huostaanoton aikana.

This study presents the comparative insight on: what are teachers' perceptions of mathematical difficulty and how do they recognize it and support their students. This thesis is a comparative study on one of the developed countries, Finland, versus one of the under-developed countries, Nepal, in the world. As different culture may have different ways to handle mathematical difficulty, the purpose of this study is to determine different methods to recognize mathematical difficulty and to support students other than Finnish teachers' methods. This study is a qualitative in nature and based on one to one interviews. Four Finnish class teachers and four Nepalese class teachers were interviewed. Seven of the teachers are currently teaching in the first six grades of the comprehensive school and one of the interviewed teachers teaches 8th grade. All of the finnish teachers have graduated as a master of behavioural science and have completed the teacher education. Three of the Nepalese teachers were licensed teachers. However, one of the teachers does not hold any degree on teacher education. The interviews were conducted in the beginning of 2017. As a data analysis, content analysis was conducted and the results were themed into main themes and upper- and lower themes. The findings suggest that Finnish teachers had more methods to identify students' mathematical difficulty than those of Nepalese teachers. Finnish teachers observe their students and their calculating methods; meanwhile nepalese teachers use test results as their main method to identify students' difficulty. As supporting methods Finnish teachers use for example, remedial instruction, concrete tools and placing students in to table groups in a way that every group has also weak and strong students. Nepalese teachers also use above-mentioned students placing into table groups. In addition, nepalese teachers tried to link the mathematical exercises into real life scenarios. Most of the interviewed teachers don't think that the teacher education they have got helped them either to recognize mathematical difficulty or to support the students who experience difficulty. Teachers say that working experience and talking with colleagues have helped them the most.

Aims and objectives. The field of speech and language therapy nowadays emphasizes the participation of client’s environments, such as the family. The importance of close environments is highlighted by e.g. the ecological systems theory, the ICF classification and the concept of zone of proximal development. To learn to communicate using a communication aid, a child needs modeling from a more competent interaction partner. Parents are usually essential interaction partners for their children, yet they need guidance and support to be able to model the use of the communication aid for their child. Previous research on parents’ experiences of guidance and support received for aided communication has been scarce. However, it has been noticed that inadequate support for parents can lead to abandonment of the communication aid. The objective of this study was to explore parents’ experiences of guidance and support on using their child’s communication aid. In addition, parents’ experiences of the challenges in the communication aid service delivery were studied, as well as experiences of their own role in the process. The study also examined parents’ views on how the support and guidance practices could be developed. Methods. The data of this study were gathered through semi-structured interviews. From seven different families, nine parents of children who were using a communication aid with an extensive vocabulary participated in the interviews. Data were analyzed using data driven content analysis. Results and conclusions. The results of this study indicated that parents receive guidance and support on using their child’s communication aid from several actors. The guidance and support were mainly considered insufficient in quantity but their content was mostly perceived adequate. Parents had positive experiences of e.g. guidance and support received from their child’s speech therapist, communication instruction, peer support, and technical support provided by the manufacturers and importers of communication aids. One of the main challenges parents had experienced in the process was that the communication aid was not always actively used in the daycare or school settings. Most of the parents had had an active, self-imposed role in the service delivery process, for example in finding services and information. Parents would develop the services provided to families e.g. by offering more guidance and support at the beginning of the process, by training professionals more comprehensively on augmentative and alternative communication, and by informing families more effectively of the services and support that are available. Based on the results of this study, the guidance and support on using a communication aid do not seem to be completely equally available for families, and parent’s own activeness appears to affect the access to services. Practices on providing guidance and support, informing parents of services and training professionals on aided communication may need to be improved and clarified. Parents’ experiences of the guidance and support vary individually, but the results of this study can help professionals develop their practices to support families.

A prerequisite for high-quality early childhood eduction is high-quality early chidhood leadership. There is no formal qualification training for becoming a leader of an early childhood education unit, which is why the researchers have been worried about the unbalance between the level of education and the demands of the job. Starting a new job is burdensome, but how to tackle the challenges that a new leader of the early childhood education unit could come across without any training for the job. The purpose of this study is to provide a general overview of starting as a novice leader of an early childhood education unit, and also to examine the received and required forms of support in the induction phase (of the career). In the field of early childhood education, the induction phase has been researched mainly by teachers’ point of vies; the studies concerning the leaders of the early childhood education units are few. Therefore, this study tries to describe and identify the subject as well as to awaken the interest for further investigation of the subject. This study is a qualitative case study that examined the induction phase and perceived support of the careers of early childhood unit leaders using a narrative research approach. The research material was collected as individual case reports and semi-structured thematic interviews. The interviews were conducted as telephone interviews. The research material consisted of five telephone interviews with the leader of early childhood education unit, which were conducted in the spring of 2020. The material was analyzed using narrative content analysis and theory-driven content analysis. According to the research results, the leaders of the early childhood education units explained that they had generally done well in the induction phase of their careers. Self-initiative and activity in applying for support were seen as a prerequisite for success at work. Leaders said they had generally received support, but had to be active in advancing it. The issues that leaders said they received support included training, various forms of mentoring, other actors in the work community and experience. In particular, training seems to be strongly linked to working as a unit leader. Leaders who had applied for leadership-related studies on their own initiative found the studies as a strong form of support, while leaders who had not attended leadership-related studies longed for them. Based on this results, it would be necessary to consider the training or coaching of unit leaders. The positivity of the results is contradictory with the discussion on the media which is why it is important to look critically at the image constructed by the media.