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Public debate in recent years on Finnish boys’ lower levels of reading ability and enthusiasm has flourished with the latest PISA test results backing up the hypothesis on a growing gender difference in reading performance. Test results have raised questions on why girls perform better on tests measuring reading ability compared to boys of equivalent age. The purpose of this literary review is to investigate the gender gap in reading performance, ability, and enthusiasm. A secondary objective of this review is to think of different solutions to improve boys’ reading ability and enthusiasm. This bachelor’s study was conducted as a literary review. The review is based on the following keywords: reading, reading ability, and boys. Literary material was gathered from Helsinki University library’s databases and latest articles, news, and studies. International PISA test scores were used as a basis for boys’ reading ability at the current moment. Studies proved that reading ability has an important role in determining success at school, further education, and in working life. A lower level of reading ability has been proven to increase the risk of isolation. Studies have also proved that boys’ worsening reading ability is a well documented problem to which working solutions have been proposed. As such, the problem is wide ranging and to which there is no one single solution. Differences in girls’ and boys’ reading ability are significant, and according to studies girls spend more time reading during their free time. As such, girls get more practice at reading compared to boys. One solution to tackle this problem is creating reading material specifically tailored for boys. A stereotypical mindset of a boy who enjoys reading as being seen as less masculine compared to his colleagues at school has to be tackled. Teachers at school have an important part to play in diminishing these stereotypes. The literary review brought to attention the fact that reading ability can be improved only by reading. Role models at home influence reading ability. In homes where reading is part of the routine, children read more during their free time and thus get more practice at reading.

The purpose of the study was to discover ways to identify and support specific language impairment in early childhood education among children speaking Finnish as their second language. Theoretical framework of the study consists of language development, Finnish as a second language -education, multilingualism, and specific language impairment. Earlier studies show, that there are no working methods for testing the language development of children with different language backgrounds. The research was conducted as a qualitative study and the research material was collected with semi structural theme interview. The objective was to discover how early childhood education teachers and early childhood special education teachers identify the specific language impairment of children, who speak Finnish as their second language and how the language development is supported in the ordinary life of early childhood education. The semi structural theme interview was responded by two early childhood teachers and two early childhood special education teachers. The material was analyzed by using theory-driven content analysis. Results of the study showed, that according to the interviewees, specific language impairment is hard to detect and hard to measure due to the fact, that most tests cannot be applied as such in measuring linguistic skills. Although the child would not have diagnosis of a specific language impairment, the development of linguistic skills of the child were regularly supported in early childhood education. If a child had problems in language development, the teachers felt that supporting the language development of a child who speaks Finnish as a second language did not differ much from supporting the language development of a child who speaks Finnish as a native language.

This study explains the forms of support in teaching Finnish as a second language (S2) speaking children in four groups of early childhood education in the capital Region. The study explores how to support Finland as a second or third language speaking children in learning Finnish and how parents are involved in supporting the development of the language. The study also explains How the groups evaluate and document the development of the child's Finnish language. The research material consists of interviews and analyses of two early childhood teachers, one part-time special teacher for early childhood education, and one special teacher for early childhood education. The teachers were selected according to the criteria established for the study in terms of experience and location. The study was carried out by means of qualitative research. The analysis method used was content analysis. The results show that the forms of support for language development were quite the same for all those interviewed, although the number of their use varied. The teachers were aware of the forms of support, but they did not necessarily used those forms in their own activities. The greatest factor in supporting the development of the child's language skills was the maintenance and emphasis of the child's native language. The role of parents and early childhood education in child’s Finnish language learning is possible to be seen from the results.

The aim of my study is to find out the methods and forms of activity in which the Finnish National Ballet practices their audience engagement for schools. I also describe the goals and aims of the Finnish National Ballet’s audience engagement. Finally I place the cooperation of The Finnish National Ballet and schools in Yrjö Engeström’s (2004, pp. 107—109) sets of interaction. Traditionally audience engagement has meant different kind of workshops, art projects and open rehearsals (Aunola, 2014, p. 131). Audience engagement has been a way of attracting new audiences and making the art form easier to reach and understand (Hietanen, 2010, p. 4). In a pedagogical point of view the core of audience engagement has been participation (Aunola, 2014, p. 135). The Finnish National Opera, including the Finnish National Ballet is mostly funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture (OKM) and the cities of Helsinki Metropolitan area. These financiers have an impact on the practices and aims of the Finnish National Ballet’s audience engagement. I Interviewed the Finnish National Opera’s Audience Outreach and Social Responsibility Manager Lauri Pokkinen for my study. The interview along with an article Kasvatuksesta yhteistyöhön (Hietanen, 2010) forms the research material of this study. I analyze the material by using theory-based content analysis and classification. The most common ways to practice audience engagement were open rehearsals, projects and workshops. Open rehearsals were the most traditional form of audience engagement. Workshops and projects meant practicing ballet or making a choreography in the guidance of professionals. The most important workshops were Balettienergiaa pojille and So you think you can move. The most fundamental aims of audience engagement seemed to be expanding the audiences, answering to demand, developing the art organization and participating children. Participation was by far the most significant aim of all. The experiences as well as the feedback of the Finnish National Ballet’s audience engagement was mostly positive. Of the sets of interaction by Yrjö Engeström (2004) the best one to describe the cooperation of the Finnish National Ballet and schools was the set of communication (Engeström, 2004, p. 109). The cooperation seemed to be dialogical and reflexive.

Tässä tutkielmassa pohdin suomenkielisen alakoululaisen englannin oppimista. Tutkimuksen ta-voitteena on selvittää, mitkä tekijät vaikuttavat alakouluikäisen englannin oppimiseen. Tutkimus-kysymyksinäni ovat ”Miten äidinkieli vaikuttaa englannin oppimiseen?” sekä ”Mikä on tutkimuk-sen mukaan keskeistä alakouluikäisten englannin oppimisessa?”. Toteutin tutkielmani kuvailevan kirjallisuuskatsauksen tapaan. Käsitellessäni äidinkielen vaikutusta englannin oppimiseen, tarkastelin aihetta laajemmalla ikäskaalalla ja otin vertailukohteeksi ruotsin-kielisen oppijan. Äidinkielen vaikutuksen englantia oppiessa lisäksi tarkastelin ajankohdan, op-pimistapojen sekä motivaation vaikutusta alakouluikäisen englannin oppimiseen. Alakouluikäisten oppimista tutkiessani otin aineistoksi FInlAn arkistoista löytyviä aihetta käsittele-viä tutkimuksia. Niissä nousivat esille ajankohdan, oppimistapojen sekä motivaation vaikutukset englannin oppimiseen. Tutkimuksissa käsiteltiin eri ikäluokkia edustavia alakoululaisia englannin oppijoita. Tähän tutkielmaan olen koonnut artikkeleista esiin nousseita tutkimustuloksia, joilla on vaikutusta englannin oppimiseen. Alakouluikäisten englannin oppimiseen vaikuttavista tekijöistä eniten nousivat esille ajankohta, oppimistavat sekä motivaatio. Ajankohdalla todettiin olevan suuri vaikutus motivaatioon. Kun eng-lannin oppiminen aloitetaan ensimmäisellä tai toisella luokalla, siihen varattuja tunteja oli vähem-män. Tämä taas saattaa jopa laskea oppijan motivaatiota, koska oppiminen ei etene eikä oppija ei huomaa omaa kehittymistään.

The Finnsheep and the Finnish Grey Landrace have recently been identified as two different breeds of sheep (Ovis aries). As this was achieved by genetical analyses and as many important characteristics of the wool are heritable it is possible that there are differences within the wool qualities of the Finnsheep and the Finnish Grey Landrace. The aim of this study was to find out if the Finnsheep wool fibres and the Finnish Grey Landrace wool fibres can be identified by breed when compared using stereomicroscopy techniques, and if the Finnsheep wool fibres and the Finnish Grey Landrace wool fibres have structural differences that might affect their usage as textile material. Wool fibres of two white and two brown Finnsheep ewes and two pale grey and two black Finnish Grey Landrace ewes were examined by microscopic methods. The longitudinal structures, cross sections and scale casts of fibres were examined. The scale patterns of the cuticula, the shape and structure of the medulla and the cross sections were examined by qualitative methods as well as the shape of the edges of the scales. The diameter of the fibres, the height and the rate of the scales were measured by using Motic Images Plus 2.0 ML software. The examined traits were compared between individuals, colours and breeds. No such trait was found that would have been characteristic for only one breed as there were no differences between the breeds. Most of the traits were similar between two colours instead of breeds. The results suggest that the wool fibres of the Finnsheep and the Finnish Grey Landrace can be used together as textile material. According to the results the wool fibres can’t be used to tell the two breeds apart. For future research, it might be more relevant to compare wool fibres between colours than breeds.

The aim of this study is to form a picture of the current state and cultural politic state of the so-called Suomi-koulu institution. Suomi-koulu is a school that provides teaching in Finnish language and Finnish culture. The students of Suomi-koulu are children with a Finnish background but who are temporarily or permanently living outside of Finland. In the year 2015 there were more than 4, 000 students studying in these schools all over the world. The first chapters of this study focus on the history and current operation of Suomi-koulu as well as the partners of the Suomi-koulu. Further chapters discuss previous studies conducted on the subject and the related concept of cultural politics. Suomi-koulu is an interesting and multidimensional phenomenon that includes education, culture, internationalization and different areas of politics. The research for this thesis was carried out as a matter based qualitative analysis. Statistical data for the study was provided by the Suomi-Seura ry. The statistics included years from 2009 to 2015. The current state of Suomi-koulu was examined by studying this data. The study of the cultural politic state of the Suomi-koulu was carried out by studying two cultural politic documents Kulttuuripolitiikan strategia 2020 and Valtioneuvoston selonteko kulttuurin tulevaisuudesta, both issued by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The current state and cultural politic state of the Suomi-koulu can be described as good and stable. The number of the schools as well as the number of student have increased between the years 2009 and 2015. The cultural politic state can be argued by the two documents studied. Four repetative themes were found to support this view. The themes were identity, value of culture, culture heritage and export of culture. All these themes speak on behalf of the Suomi-koulu being important to the individual, to different communities and to the state of Finland. Many aspects such as long history, active support from the Ministry of Education and Culture, committed teachers and parents, increasing emigration from Finland and the overall appreciation for the Finnish culture have had an effect to the good present state of Suomi-koulu.

Objectives. The aim of the thesis was to find out what kind of means the teacher can use teaching Finnish as a second language students in order to support the production of their speaking. There has been quite a bit of research on this topic, though the topic is timely as cultural diversity increases and the number of pupils in the syllabus of Finnish as a second language is increasing. The thesis was made as a literature review. The aim was to explore, as far as possible, the most effective ways to support the production of speaking by Finnish as a second language students through the analysis of the research. There was found similiar types of supporting methods, but depending on the context, different methods for teaching was also found. Methods. The material of this thesis was collected from literature using a systematic literature review. The research material was compiled using related keywords in the most common library knowledge databases. The literature to be analyzed mainly consisted of studies related to the topic, but also other researches based literature for the period 2007-2016 was accepted. The results of the literature analysis were systematically grouped and analyzed using descriptive method. Results and Conclusions. From the research literature, there was found various teaching methods which the teacher can apply when teaching Finnish as a second language. Key elements of the most important researches, in particular to support the speech of the students, were small group activities, peer support and spontaneous interaction situations. In most studies, teaching functionality and interaction were important. Other well-functioning methods, such as the use of pupils' own mother language in teaching, were considered workable. The aim behind these teaching methods was to enrich the vocabulary of the students and thus to improve the fluency of speaking. The research results can be directly applied to practical teaching work.

The aim of my study was to find out what is it about clothing brand Supreme that allures its users to spend so much time, money and effort to be able to get a hold on to its clothes and accessories. My research task was to get a clarification what makes Supreme so supreme to its user and what type of matters are there in the background. To find out my study asks what are the roles of identity and exclusiveness in this entirety. My study reflects on earlier studies about dressing, identity and about the role of exclusiveness in marketing of luxury brands. The material for my study is collected from an interview. To be able to get relevant information I chose the interviewee based on my knowledge of him being a Supreme user. Content analysis was made from a semiotic point of view and the aim was to show different semantics appearing in the results. The results show how identity and exclusiveness have an effect on the appeal of Supreme to its user and how they work together increasing one another. Supreme revealed to be just enough out of reach from its users to be able to create a community around itself that community being based on the identity built around Supreme in certain context.

Tavoitteet. Tässä tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan surua suomalaisissa lasten kuvakirjoissa. Sosiokulttuurisesta näkökulmasta lasten kuvakirja on kulttuurintuote, jossa heijastuvat aikamme ja kulttuurimme normit ja asenteet. Tavat, joilla surua kuvakirjoissa esitetään ja merkityksellistetään, opettavat lapsi-lukijoille surusta, suremisesta ja surevan kohtaamisesta. Sosiaalisen konstruktionismin ydinajatusten mukaisesti tässä tutkimuksessa nähdään, että kieli sekä kertoo todellisuudesta että rakentaa sitä. Kielellä on siis merkitystä, ja sitä on siksi tärkeää tutkia. Lasten kuvakirjoissa ikävät ja vaikeat aiheet ovat yleistyneet viimeisten kolmen vuosikymmenen aikana (Heikkilä-Halttunen, 2010, 16), ja niihin on tartuttu myös lastenkirjallisuuden tutkimuksessa (ks. mm. Kokko, 2010; Heikkilä-Halttunen, 2010). Suruista muut kuin kuolemansuru ovat kuitenkin jääneet lähes kokonaan vaille huomiota. Lapsen elämään sisältyy laaja kirjo enemmän ja vähemmän arkisia suruja, joiden huomiotta jättäminen herättää kysymyksen siitä, mitä lapsen suruja aikuiset pitävät tärkeinä ja merkityksellisinä – ja mitä ehkä eivät. Menetelmät. Tutkimus toteutettiin diskurssianalyysin keinoin. Analyysiin valikoitui neljä suomalaista, vuosina 2018–2021 julkaistua lasten kuvakirjaa, jossa suru on keskeinen aihe. Aineistonhaussa käytettiin Lastenkirjainstituutin ja HelMet-kirjastojen lastenkirjallisuuden tietokantoja. Kuvakirjassa sekä verbaalisella että kuvallisella kielellä on tärkeä osansa merkityksen luomisessa ja kommuni-koimisessa lukijalle (ks. mm. Heinimaa, 2001, 144). Näin ollen kuvakirjan analyysissa verbaalisen ohella myös visuaalista kieltä tulisi tutkia. Tässä tutkimuksessa kuvakirjojen verbaalista ja visuaalista kieltä tarkasteltiin kuvakirjatyyppien (Nikolajeva & Scott, 2001), kielen funktioiden (ks. Pietikäinen & Mäntynen, 2020, 2.4: Diskurssit ja kielelliset valinnat) ja lauseen prosessityyppien (Halliday & Matthiessen, 2004) käsitteistöön nojaten. Analyyttisten kysymysten avulla tehtiin huomioita tavoista, joilla surua aineistossa merkityksellistetään. Tulokset ja johtopäätökset. Aineistosta nousseet surun diskurssit kertovat surusta, suremisesta ja surevan kohtaamisesta. Suru kuvattiin luonnollisena ja hyväksyttävänä mutta samaan aikaan epäsäännöllisenä ja ei-lineaarisena ilmiönä. Sureminen oli hyvin erilaista lapsilla ja aikuisilla. Lapsilla suru näyttäytyi etenkin kiukkuna ja huutona, aikuisista taas tuli surun myötä poissaolevia ja väsyneitä. Lapsen ja aikuisen roolit myös hämärtyivät, kun suru oli yhteistä. Surevat aikuiset eivät ehkä muistaneet pestä lapsen hampaita tai huolehtia, että tämä saa syödäkseen. Sureva kohdattiin keholla ennemmin kuin sanoilla. Lapsenkaan surua ei muutamaa poikkeusta lukuun ottamatta yritetty selittää tai sanoittaa. Halaaminen, silittäminen ja sylissä pitäminen olivat yleisimmät keholliset tavat kohda-ta lapsen suru.