Kotitalouden opetustilat osana kehittyvää oppimisympäristöä : asumistoiminnot ja opetussuunnitelma muutoksen määrittäjinä

Home Economics Classrooms as Part of Developing the Environment Housing Activities and Curriculums Defining Change --- The aim of the research project was to develop home economics classrooms to be flexible and versatile learning environments where household activities might be practiced according to the curriculum in different social networking situations. The research is based on the socio-cultural approach, where the functionality of the learning environment is studied specifically from an interactive learning viewpoint. The social framework is a natural starting point in home economics teaching because of the group work in classrooms. The social nature of learning thus becomes a significant part of the learning process. The study considers learning as experience based, holistic and context bound. The learning environment, i.e. home economics classrooms and the material tools there, plays a significant role in developing students skills to manage everyday life. --- The first research task was to analyze the historical development of household activities. The second research task was to develop and test criteria for functional home economics classrooms in planning both the learning environment and the students activities during lessons. The third research task was to evaluate how different professionals (commissioners, planners and teachers) use the criteria as a tool. The research consists of three parts. The first contains a historical analysis of how social changes have created tension between traditional household classrooms and new activities in homes. The historical analysis is based on housing research, regulations and instructions. For this purpose a new theoretical concept, the tension arch, was introduced. This helped in recognizing and solving problems in students activities and in developing innovations. The functionality criteria for home economics classrooms were developed based on this concept. These include technical (health, safety and technical factors), functional (ergonomic, ecological, aesthetic and economic factors) and behavioural (cooperation and interaction skills and communication technologies) criteria. --- The second part discusses how the criteria were used in renovating school buildings. Empirical data was collected from two separate schools where the activities during lessons were recorded both before and after classrooms were renovated. An analysis of both environments based on video recordings was conducted. The previously created criteria were made use of, and problematic points in functionality looked for particularly from a social interactive viewpoint. The results show that the criteria were used as a planning tool. The criteria facilitated layout and equipment solutions that support both curriculum and learning in home economics classrooms taking into consideration cooperation and interaction in the classroom. With the help of the criteria the home economics classrooms changed from closed and complicated space into integrated and open spaces where the flexibility and versatility of the learning environment was emphasized. The teacher became a facilitator and counselor instead a classroom controller. --- The third part analyses the discussions in planning meetings. These were recorded and an analysis was conducted of how the criteria and research results were used in the planning process of new home economics classrooms. The planning process was multivoiced, i.e. actors from different interest groups took part. All the previously created criteria (technical, functional and behavioural) emerged in the discussions and some of them were used as planning tools. Planning meetings turned into planning studios where boundaries between organizations were ignored and the physical learning environments were developed together with experts. The planning studios resulted in multivoiced planning which showed characteristics of collaborative and participating planning as well as producing common knowledge and shared expertise. --- KEY WORDS: physical learning environment, socio-cultural approach, tension arch, boundary crossing, collaborative planning.

Elinikäisen oppimisen ja edunvalvonnan kohtaanto : aikuiskoulutusinformaatio palkansaajakeskusjärjestöjen verkkosivustoilla

Tutkielma käsittelee koulutusviestintää. Johtoajatuksena on ollut nostaa esille uusi näkökulma perinteisestä koulutus- ja viestintäpoliittisesta verkostosta. Tutkielmassa eritellään ja analysoidaan palkansaajakeskusjärjestöjen – Akava, SAK ja STTK – kotisivuillaan jakamaa aikuiskoulutusinformaatiota. Teeman voi katsoa liittyvän paitsi makrotason yhteiskunnalliseen vaikuttamiseen myös työmarkkinajärjestöjen toiminnan prioriteetteihin huolehtia jäsenistönsä opinto-, ammatti- ja työurista. Suomessa on pitkä historia ns. kolmikannalle. Se on tuonut työntekijä- ja työnantajaosapuolet valtion rinnalle koulutuspolitiikan valmisteluun, päätöksentekoon ja toimeenpanoon. Tästä johtuen tutkielma taustoittuu palkansaajakeskusjärjestöjen koulutusintressien kehitykseen. Toisaalla huomioidaan se, että nykyinen lainsäädäntö, hallitusohjelma ja elinikäisen oppimisen tavoitteet ovat moninaisen yhteistyöverkoston aikaansaannos, johon osapuolet ovat vaikuttaneet globaalisti ja etenkin Euroopan unionissa. Em. linjausten mukaisesta aikuiskoulutusinformaation jakamisesta ja ohjauspalveluista vastaavat pääsääntöisesti koulutuksen järjestäjät ja te-toimistot. Tämän lisäksi työmarkkinakeskusjärjestöillä on mahdollisuus edesauttaa tiedon ja neuvonnan välittämisessä paitsi jäsenjärjestöilleen ja jäsenistölleen myös kansalaisille. Tieto- ja viestintäteknologia on avannut organisaatioille uusia kanavia sekä mahdollisuuden saattaa kansalaiset ja päätöksentekijät demokraattisempaan vuorovaikutukseen. Tutkielmassa tunnistetaan, dokumentoidaan ja analysoidaan kolmiosaisen [1–3] sisällönanalyysin keinoin sitä, millaisin toteutuksin nämä mahdollisuudet on hyödynnetty järjestöjen kotisivujen koulutusviestinnässä 2010. Analyysien perusteella palkansaajakeskusjärjestöjen välillä on yhteneväisyyksiä, mutta samalla viitteitä sekä määrällisistä että laadullisista eroista. Yleiskatsaus [1] toi esille, että aikuiskoulutusteeman tuominen järjestöjen verkkopalvelujen etusivulle oli varsin maltillista ja epäsuoraa. SAK:n saattoi kuitenkin erottaa tässä analyysissä aikuiskoululutusinformaatiota monipuolisimmin jakavaksi järjestöksi. Asiasanahaussa [2] tehtiin luokitteleva haku asiasanoilla: yleissivistävä aikuiskoulutus, ammatillinen aikuiskoulutus, oppisopimuskoulutus, henkilöstökoulutus, työvoimapoliittinen koulutus, lisä- ja täydennyskoulutus sekä ay-koulutus. Akavan ja STTK:n määrällisesti painottunut ay-koulutuskategoria sisälsi uutisia ja linjauksia. SAK tiedotti ensisijaisesti non-formaalista järjestökoulutuksestaan. Jakauma muuttui formaalin koulutuksen käsitteillä (ts. ilman ay-koulusta). Tällöin Akava painotti työvoimapoliittista koulutusta. SAK viestitti tasaisesti eri koulutusmuodoista. STTK:n painopiste oli henkilöstökoulutuksessa, jota seurasivat oppisopimus- ja työvoimapoliittinen koulutus. STTK erottui muista keskusjärjestöistä osumien määrän ja sisältöjen laajuuden osalta. Tuloksista voi karkeasti hahmottaa, että Akava ja SAK tulivat esille asiasanapohjaisen aikuiskoulutusviestinnän kautta keskimäärin kerran kuukaudessa, kun STTK:n frekvenssi oli kaksinkertainen. Sisältö [3] analyysi profiloi Akavan linjausten/julkaisujen esittäjäksi. SAK painotus oli ay-koulutuksessa. Järjestö huomioi myös muut koulutusmuodot ja pyrki teemoissaan asiakaslähtöiseen palveluun. STTK oli järjestöistä ainoa, jonka kotisivuilla oli selvästi yleistä koulutusinformaatiota jakava ja aikuiskoulutukseen painottunut navigaatiokeskittymä. STTK:n toteutus ja sisällöllinen anti olivat tältä osin ja tässä tutkimuksessa etenkin Akavaan, mutta myös SAK:hon verrattuna, määrällisesti ja laadullisesti ylivoimaisia. Arvioin palkansaajakeskusjärjestöjen tulleen elinikäisen oppimisen käytänteiden myötä sekä non- ja informaalin oppimisen toimintamalleja kehittäessään hienokseltaan lähemmäksi formaalia koulutusjärjestelmää. Vaikka elinikäisen oppimisen ja edunvalvonnan kohtaanto päätynee sivustokokonaisuudessa edunvalvonnan voitoksi, antaa elinikäinen oppiminen omassa kategoriassaan tässä vaiheessa hyvän ja kehittävän vastuksen. Työmarkkinakeskusjärjestöjä koskeva tutkimus on vähäistä huomioiden niiden kansallisen ja kansainvälisen merkityksen. Saatavilla oleva aikuiskoulutusta, työmarkkinakeskusjärjestöjä ja verkkoviestintää yhdistävä tutkimus on lähinnä 1990-luvun alun pohdintaa siitä, miten tieto- ja viestintäteknologian läpimurto vaikuttaa edunvalvontaan ja yhteisöllisyyteen. Tekijälleen työ on tästä haasteesta huolimatta antanut erinomaisen mahdollisuuden toimintaympäristön luotaukseen ja koulutustarkastajan työhön liittyvän asiantuntemuksen syventämiseen.

Verkko-oppimateriaalin multimodaalisuus : kohteena YLEn Kansalaisen ABC -verkko-oppimateriaalit

Today information and communication technology allows us to use multimedia more than ever before in e-learning materials. Multimedia though can increase cognitive load in learning process. Because of that it cannot be taken granted what kind of learning materials should be produced. This paper intended to study the diversity of e-learning materials and the factors related cognitive load. The main purpose was to study the multimodality of the multimedia learning materials. The subject of this study is the learning materials on the web site Kansalaisen ABC published by YLE. Learning materials in the web site were approached from three different perspectives. The specific questions were: (1) What kind of form features are used in the representations of the learning material? Are certain form features preferred over others? (2) How do the cognitive load factors take shape in learning materials and between the forms? (3) How does the multimodality phenomenon appear in the learning materials and in what ways are form features and cognitive load factors related to multimodality? In this case study a qualitative approach was used. Analysis of the form features and the cognitive load factors in learning materials were based on content analysis. Form features included the specification of a format, the structure, the interactivity type and the type of learning material. The results showed that the web sites include various representations of both verbal and visual forms. Cognitive load factors were related mostly to visual than verbal material. Material presented according to the principles of cognitive multimedia theory multimedia representations did not cause cognitive overload in the informants. Cognitive load was increased in the case of students needing to split their attention between the multimedia forms in time and place. The results indicated how different individual characteristics are reflected by the cognitive load factors.

Kokemuksia tieteellisten jatko-opintojen ohjauksesta Teknillisen korkeakoulun Tuotantotalouden osastolla : Tavoitteeksi suunnitelmallinen ohjaus jatko-opiskelijan kasvun tueksi

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää Teknillisen korkeakoulun Tuotantotalouden osaston jatko-opintojenohjauksen nykykäytännöt ja kartoittaa jatko-opiskelijoiden kokemuksia jatko-opintojen ohjauksesta. Lisäksi haluttiin kehittää ohjauksen käytäntöjä. Tutkimusote oli kvalitatiivinen ja pääasialliset tutkimusmenetelmät olivat grounded theory ja teemahaastattelu. Jatko-opiskelijoita haastateltiin yhteensä 18 Tuotantotaloudenosaston kaikilta jatkokoulutuslinjoilta: perinteiseltä linjalta, valtakunnallisesta tohtoriohjelmasta ja teollisuuden tohtoriohjelmasta ExIMasta. Tutkimuksen teoriapohjana olivat konstruktivistinen oppimiskäsitys ja sosiaalikonstruktivismi. Tutkimuksessa pyrittiin löytämään tutkimuksen teon elementit ja selvittämään, kuinka tutkijankoulutusprosessia tulisi konstruktivistisen oppimiskäsityksen mukaisesti tukea. Tieteellisen tiedon tuottamista sosiaalisena prosessina ja ryhmän tukea tutkimuksen teossa käsiteltiin sosiaalikonstruktivistisen teorian avulla. Tutkimuksen päätulokseksi saatiin, että jatko-opiskelijan tutkimusprosessin ohjaamiseen kaivataan suunnitelmallisuutta ja struktuuria. Tutkimuksen tuloksena esitetyn ohjausmallin mukaan opiskelija halutaan aktivoida pohtimaan omia tavoitteitaan ja tutkimuksen teon etenemistä sekä ohjaustarpeitaan jatahoja, joista ohjausta voi hakea. Tämän prosessin tueksi sekä jatko-opiskelijan ja ohjaajan avuksi tutkimuksessa esitetään käytännön työkalu, ohjaussuunnitelma. Yksilöohjauksen järjestäminen on kaikilla jatkokoulutuslinjoilla opiskelijan omalla vastuulla, ja usein ohjaustilanteiden järjestäminen koetaan vaikeaksi. Jatko-opiskelijoilla on useita ohjaustahoja, esimerkiksi oman korkeakoulun ja muiden korkeakoulujen professorien lisäksi tutkijakollegat ja teollisuuden edustajat. Yksilöohjaus on menetelmä- ja sisältötukea, henkistä tukea, kannustusta, keskustelua, ideoita ja ajatusten jäsennystä. Vertaisohjaukseen kuuluu näiden lisäksi samassa tilanteessa olevien ihmisten tuki, palaute ja kritiikki. Hyvän ohjauksen elementtejä ovat kannustaminen ja innostaminen, neuvominen ja jäsentäminen sekä seuranta ja säännöllisyys. Ohjauksessa tulisi lisäksi ottaa huomioon jatkotutkinnon erilainen merkitys eri opiskelijoille. Jatkotutkinto merkitsee joillekin ajokorttia akateemiseen maailmaan, toisille ammatillista kehitystä teollisuudessa. Tutkimuksen teon eri vaiheissa tarvitaan erilaista ohjausta: alkuvaiheessa tiukkaa ohjausta, jotta tutkimuksen oikeat urat löytyvät, raakatyön vaiheessa tukea ja kannustusta, jotta aineistonkeruu ja analyysi onnistuvat, ja loppuvaiheessa tutkimusraportin kommentointia. Tutkimuksessa todetaan lisäksi, että tieto- ja viestintätekniikkaa hyödyntäen voidaan hoitaa joitakin ohjausalueita paremmin kuin nykykäytännöillä. Tutkimuksen tärkeimpiä lähteitä olivat grounded theoryn osalta Strauss & Corbinin(1990) teos, ohjauksen osalta Aittolan (1995), Aittolan & Määtän (1997, 1998) tutkimukset ja Ackerin,Hillin & Blackin (1994) tutkimukset sekä konstruktivismin osalta von Wrightin (1996) ja Tynjälän (1999) tutkimukset. Avainsanat: Tieteelliset jatko-opinnot, teollisuuden tohtoriohjelma, ohjaus, tutorointi, mentorointi, konstruktivismi, sosiaalikonstruktivismi, grounded theory Keywords: Postgraduate education, Ph.D. studies, industry-university collaboration in Ph.D. studies, constructivism, social constructivism, grounded theory, tutoring, mentoring, supervision

Konstruktiivisen linjakkuuden perusteita etsimässä : Systemaattinen analyysi John Biggsin esittämistä yliopisto-opetuksen lähtökohdista

The aim of this study is to explore by systematic textual analysis the crucial conceptions of constructive alignment and to reconstruct the concept of constructive alignment and examine the relation between conceptual relationships in John Biggs’s texts. In this study, I have also analyzed the presuppositions of the concept of constructive alignment and its possible implications. The research material includes Biggs’s (1996b; 2003) article entitled Enhancing Teaching through Constructive Alignment and book entitled Teaching for Quality Learning at University. The primary purpose of the systematic textual analysis is to reconstruct concepts and gain access to a new or more profound understanding of the concepts. The main purpose of the constructive alignment is to design a teaching system that supports and encourages students to adopt a deep approach learning. At the center of the constructive alignment are two concepts: constructivism in learning and alignment in teaching. A tension was detected between these concepts. Biggs assumes that students’ learning activities are primed by the teaching. Because of this it is not important what the teacher does. At the same time he emphasizes that teaching interacts with learning. The teacher’s task is to support student’s appropriate learning activities. On the basis of the analysis, I conclude these conceptions are not mutually exclusive. Interaction between teaching and learning has an effect on student’s learning activities. The most essential benefit of the model of constructive alignment is that Biggs brings together and considers teaching at the same level with learning. A weakness of Biggs’s model relates to the theoretical basis and positions of the concept of constructive alignment. There are some conflicts between conceptions of epistemology in Biggs’s texts. In addition, Biggs writes about constructivism also as conceptions of epistemology, but doesn’t consider implications of that position or what follows or doesn’t follow from that commitment. On the basis of the analysis, I suggest that constructivism refers in Biggs’s texts rather to constructivism in learning than philosophical constructivism. In light of this study, constructive alignment doesn´t lead to philosophical constructivism. That’s why constructive alignment stays out of idealism. Biggs’s way of thinking about teachers possibility to confronting students’ misconceptions and evaluate and assess students’ constructions support a realist purpose in terms of philosophical stance. Realism does not drift toward general problems of relativism, like lack of criteria for assessing or evaluate these constructions.

Do UNESCO Schools in Finland Prepare Their Students for the Future? : A Study of Their School-based Curriculums

The purpose of the research was to study how Finnish lower-stage schools participating in the international network of UNESCO schools, also called the Associated Schools Project (ASP), prepare their students for the future at the level of their school-based curriculums. In the research, the future trends were discussed, and the importance of their consideration in educational practice was explained from a global viewpoint: Based on the examination of today's problematic world state, and development trends characterized by globalization, the challenges and demands set for schooling and education in the future were discussed. Understanding the significance of an individual's action and responsibility was considered to be the central resource for building a more just and sustainable future. The study was grounded on a theoretical model developed by the researcher, which combined the models of Dalin & Rust (1996) and UNESCO (Delors et al. 1996) about future-oriented learning. The model consists of four basic elements of curriculum; "Nature", "Culture", "Myself", and "Others", and four dimension of learning; "Learning to know", "Learning to do", "Learning to live together" and "Learning to be". The model represents the holistic aspect of educational theory, and its aim is to maintain a balance between its different components. The research material composed of ten lower-stage UNESCO schools' school-based curriculums. They were analyzed using the theoretical model by the methology of content analysis. The research results were notably consistent between the different schools. They showed cultural learning and learning concerned with "myself" to be clearly more emphasized than learning referring to nature and other people. In addition, they reflected the central position of subjects, knowledge and skills, thus leaving the development of the pupils' personalities, and particularly learning concerned with living with other people, in a marginal role. The question about whether the schools prepare for the future interms of their curriculums, was discussed in the light of the results. The research offered a way and a model to approach the relationship between education and the future, and to evaluate schools' future-orientation. Based on the results, the schools are suggested to lay more stress on learning concerned with nature and other people, and focus more on developing the mental capasities of their pupils and competencies they need for living with other people. Above all, what the present societies require of schools is education which produces balanced and broadly aware human beings who have the mental strength to face the challenges of the future and abilities to direct it along the lines they desire. Keywords: future, curriculum, content analysis

Petusta pitsaan : Ruokahuollon järjestelyt kriisiaikojen Suomessa

From bark bread to pizza - Food and exceptional circumstances: reactions of Finnish society to crises of food supply This study on the food supply under exceptional circumstances lies within the nutritional, historical and social sciences. The perspective and questions come under nutrition science, but are part of social decision-making. The study focuses on the first and second world wars as well as on contemporary society at the beginning of the 21st century. The main purpose of this study is to explore how Finnish society has responded to crises and what measures it has taken to sustain institutional food services and the food supply of households. The particular study interests include the school catering and food services in hospitals during the world wars. The situation in households is reflected in the counseling work carried out by state-run or civic organisations. Interest also focuses on the action of the scientific community. The decisions made in Finland are projected onto the solutions developed in some other European countries. The study is based primarily on the archive documents and annual reports prepared by food and health care authorities. Major source materials include scientific and professional publications. The evaluation of the situation in contemporary Finnish society is based on corresponding emergency plans and guidelines. The written material is supplemented by discussions with experts. Food rationing during the WWI and WWII differed in extent, details and unity. The food intake of some population groups was occasionally inadequate both in quantity, quality and safety. The counseling of the public focused on promoting self-sufficiency, improving cooking skills and widening food habits. One of the most vulnerable groups in regard to nutrition was long-term patients in institutions. As for future development, the world wars were never-theless important periods for public food services and counseling practices. WWII was also an important period for product development in the food industry. Significant work on food substitutes was carried out by Professor Carl Tigerstedt during WWI. The research of Professors A. I. Virtanen and Paavo Simola during WWII focused on vitamins. Crises threatening societies now differ from those faced a hundred years ago. Finland is bet-ter prepared, but in many ways more vulnerable to and dependent on other actors. Food rationing is a severe means of handling the scarcity of food, which is why contemporary society relies primarily on preparedness planning. Civic organisations played a key role during the world wars, and establishing an emergency food supply remains on their agenda. Although the objective of protecting the population remains the same for nutrition, food production, and food consumption, threat scenarios and the knowledge and skill levels of citizens are constantly changing. Continuous monitoring and evaluation is therefore needed.

Kemian ylioppilaskokeen tehtävät summatiivisen arvioinnin välineenä

The main purpose of the research was to illustrate chemistry matriculation examination questions as a summative assessment tool, and represent how the questions have evolved over the years. Summative assessment and its various test item classifications, Finnish goal-oriented curriculum model, and Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy of Cognitive Objectives formed the theoretical framework for the research. The research data consisted of 257 chemistry questions from 28 matriculation examinations between 1996 and 2009. The analysed test questions were formulated according to the national upper secondary school chemistry curricula 1994, and 2003. Qualitative approach and theory-driven content analysis method were employed in the research. Peer review was used to guarantee the reliability of the results. The research was guided by the following questions: (a) What kinds of test item formats are used in chemistry matriculation examinations? (b) How the fundamentals of chemistry are included in the chemistry matriculation examination questions? (c) What kinds of cognitive knowledge and skills do the chemistry matriculation examination questions require? The research indicates that summative assessment was used diversely in chemistry matriculation examinations. The tests included various test item formats, and their combinations. The majority of the test questions were constructed-response items that were either verbal, quantitative, or experimental questions, symbol questions, or combinations of the aforementioned. The studied chemistry matriculation examinations seldom included selected-response items that can be either multiple-choice, alternate choice, or matching items. The relative emphasis of the test item formats differed slightly depending on whether the test was a part of an extensive general studies battery of tests in sciences and humanities, or a subject-specific test. The classification framework developed in the research can be applied in chemistry and science education, and also in educational research. Chemistry matriculation examinations are based on the goal-oriented curriculum model, and cover relatively well the fundamentals of chemistry included in the national curriculum. Most of the test questions related to the symbolism of chemical equation, inorganic and organic reaction types and applications, the bonding and spatial structure in organic compounds, and stoichiometry problems. Only a few questions related to electrolysis, polymers, or buffer solutions. None of the test questions related to composites. There were not any significant differences in the emphasis between the tests formulated according to the national curriculum 1994 or 2003. Chemistry matriculation examinations are cognitively demanding. The research shows that the majority of the test questions require higher-order cognitive skills. Most of the questions required analysis of procedural knowledge. The questions that only required remembering or processing metacognitive knowledge, were not included in the research data. The required knowledge and skill level varied slightly between the test questions in the extensive general studies battery of tests in sciences and humanities, and subject-specific tests administered since 2006. The proportion of the Finnish chemistry matriculation examination questions requiring higher-order cognitive knowledge and skills is very large compared to what is discussed in the research literature.

Power and Authority. Birgitta of Sweden and her Revelations

In the High Middle Ages female saints were customarily noble virgins. Thus, as a wife and a mother of eight children, the Swedish noble lady Birgitta (1302/3 1373) was an atypical candidate for sanctity. However, in 1391 she was canonized only 18 years after her death and became a role model for many late medieval women, who were mothers and widows. The dissertation Power and Authority Birgitta of Sweden and Her Revelations investigates how Birgitta went about establishing her power and authority during the first ten years of her career as a living saint, in 1340 1349. It is written from the perspectives of gender, authority, and power. The sources consist of approximately seven hundred revelations, hagiographical texts and other medieval documents. This work concentrates on the interaction between Birgitta and her audience. During her lifetime Birgitta was already regarded as a holy woman, as a living saint. A living saint could be given no formal papal or other recognition, for one could never be certain about his or her future activities. Thus, the living saint needed an audience for whom to perform signs of sanctity. In this study particular attention is paid to situations within which the power relations between the living saint and her audience can be traced and are open to critical analysis. Situations of conflict that arose in Birgitta s life are especially fruitful for this purpose. During the Middle Ages, institutional power and authority were exclusively in the hands of secular male leaders and churchmen. In this work it is argued, however, that Birgitta used different kinds of power than men. It is evident that she exercized influence on lay people as well as on secular and clerical authorities. The second, third, and fourth chapter of this study examine the beginning of Birgitta s career as a visionary, what factors and influences lay behind it, and what kind of roles they played in establishing her religious authority. The fifth, sixth, and seventh chapter concentrate on Birgitta s exercising of power in specific situations during her time in Sweden until she left on a pilgrimage to Rome in 1349. The central question is how she exercised power with different people. As a result, this book will offer a narrative of Birgitta s social interactions in Sweden seen from the perspectives of power and authority. Along with the concept of power, authority is a key issue. By definition, one who has power also has authority but a person who does not have official power can, nevertheless, have authority. Authority in action is defined here as meaning that a person was listened to. Birgitta acted both in situations of open conflict and where no conflict was evident. Her strategies included, for example, inducement, encouragement and flattery. In order to make people do as she felt was right she also threatened them openly with divine wrath. Sometimes she even used both positive persuasion and threats. Birgitta s power seems very similar to that of priests and ascetics. Common to all of them was that their power demanded interaction with other people and audiences. Because Birgitta did not have power and authority ex officio she had to persuade people to believe in her powers. She did this because she was convinced of her mission and sought to make people change their lives. In so doing, she moved from the domestic field to the public fields of religion and politics.

Reinventing Nordic Openness : Transparency and State Information in Finland

The study explores new ideational changes in the information strategy of the Finnish state between 1998 and 2007, after a juncture in Finnish governing in the early 1990s. The study scrutinizes the economic reframing of institutional openness in Finland that comes with significant and often unintended institutional consequences of transparency. Most notably, the constitutional principle of publicity (julkisuusperiaate), a Nordic institutional peculiarity allowing public access to state information, is now becoming an instrument of economic performance and accountability through results. Finland has a long institutional history in the publicity of government information, acknowledged by law since 1951. Nevertheless, access to government information became a policy concern in the mid-1990s, involving a historical narrative of openness as a Nordic tradition of Finnish governing Nordic openness (pohjoismainen avoimuus). International interest in transparency of governance has also marked an opening for institutional re-descriptions in Nordic context. The essential added value, or contradictory term, that transparency has on the Finnish conceptualisation of governing is the innovation that public acts of governing can be economically efficient. This is most apparent in the new attempts at providing standardised information on government and expressing it in numbers. In Finland, the publicity of government information has been a concept of democratic connotations, but new internationally diffusing ideas of performance and national economic competitiveness are discussed under the notion of transparency and its peer concepts openness and public (sector) information, which are also newcomers to Finnish vocabulary of governing. The above concepts often conflict with one another, paving the way to unintended consequences for the reforms conducted in their name. Moreover, the study argues that the policy concerns over openness and public sector information are linked to the new drive for transparency. Drawing on theories of new institutionalism, political economy, and conceptual history, the study argues for a reinvention of Nordic openness in two senses. First, in referring to institutional history, the policy discourse of Nordic openness discovers an administrative tradition in response to new dilemmas of public governance. Moreover, this normatively appealing discourse also legitimizes the new ideational changes. Second, a former mechanism of democratic accountability is being reframed with market and performance ideas, mostly originating from the sphere of transnational governance and governance indices. Mobilizing different research techniques and data (public documents of the Finnish government and international organizations, some 30 interviews of Finnish civil servants, and statistical time series), the study asks how the above ideational changes have been possible, pointing to the importance of nationalistically appealing historical narratives and normative concepts of governing. Concerning institutional developments, the study analyses the ideational changes in central steering mechanisms (political, normative and financial steering) and the introduction of budget transparency and performance management in two cases: census data (Population Register Centre) and foreign political information (Ministry for Foreign Affairs). The new policy domain of governance indices is also explored as a type of transparency. The study further asks what institutional transformations are to be observed in the above cases and in the accountability system. The study concludes that while the information rights of citizens have been reinforced and recalibrated during the period under scrutiny, there has also been a conversion of institutional practices towards economic performance. As the discourse of Nordic openness has been rather unquestioned, the new internationally circulating ideas of transparency and the knowledge economy have entered this discourse without public notice. Since the mid 1990s, state registry data has been perceived as an exploitable economic resource in Finland and in the EU public sector information. This is a parallel development to the new drive for budget transparency in organisations as vital to the state as the Population Register Centre, which has led to marketization of census data in Finland, an international exceptionality. In the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the post-Cold War rhetorical shift from secrecy to performance-driven openness marked a conversion in institutional practices that now see information services with high regards. But this has not necessarily led to the increased publicity of foreign political information. In this context, openness is also defined as sharing information with select actors, as a trust based non-public activity, deemed necessary amid the global economic competition. Regarding accountability system, deliberation and performance now overlap, making it increasingly difficult to identify to whom and for what the public administration is accountable. These evolving institutional practices are characterised by unintended consequences and paradoxes. History is a paradoxical component in the above institutional change, as long-term institutional developments now justify short-term reforms.

Tiedon jakaminen tiimityössä

Knowledge-sharing in a teamwork The study examines the link between knowledge-sharing that takes place in a team and the dimensions and objectives of the team s activities. The question the study poses is: How does knowledge-sharing in a team relate to the team s activities? The exchange of knowledge is examined using knowledge-sharing networks and the conversion model, which describes the process of knowledge formation. The answer to the question is sought through four empirical articles describing the activities of a team from the viewpoint of quality, fairness, power related to knowledge management, and performance. One of the articles used in the study describes the role of networks in work life more generally. It attempts to shed light on the manner in which team-related networks operate as part of a more extensive structure of organizational networks. Finland is one of the most eager users of teamwork, if numbers are used as a yardstick. About half of all Finnish wage earners worked in teams in 2009, and comparisons show that the use of teams in Finland is above the EU average. This study focuses on so-called semi-autonomous teams, which carry out permanent work tasks. In such teams, tasks are interdependent, and teams are jointly responsible for ensuring that the work is done. Team members may also, at least to some extent, agree between themselves on how the tasks are carried out and are able to take part in the decision-making process. Such teamwork makes knowledge-sharing an important element for the team s activities. Knowledge and knowledge-sharing have become a major resource, allowing organizations to operate and even compete in today s increasingly competitive markets. A single team or a single organization cannot, however, possess all the knowledge required for carrying out the tasks assigned to it. Although it is difficult to copy the knowledge generated in an organization, it is important to share the knowledge within and between organizations. External links supply teams and organizations with important knowledge that allows them to keep their operations up-to-date and their structures well-functioning. In fact, knowledge provides teams and organizations with an intangible resource that improves their capacity to interact with their environment and to adjust to it. For this reason, it is important to examine both the internal and external knowledge-sharing taking place in a team. The findings of the study show that in terms of quality, fairness, performance and the knowledge management issues concerning a team, its social network structure is both internally and externally connected with its activities. A team structure that is internally coherent and at the same time open to external contacts, is, with certain restrictions, connected with the quality, fairness, and performance of the team. The restrictions concern differences between procedural and interactional justice, public and private sectors, and the team leaders and ordinary team members. The role of the team leader is closely connected with the management of networks that are considered valuable. The results of the study indicate that teamwork is supervisor-dominated. Thus, teamwork does not substantially strengthen the influence of individual employees as players in knowledge-transfer networks. However, ordinary team members possess important peer contacts inside the organization. Teamwork clearly allows employees to interact in a democratic manner, and here the transfer of tacit knowledge plays an important role. Keywords: teamwork, knowledge-sharing, social networks, organization

Essays on Finnish Economic Growth and Productivity, 1860-2005

This study examines Finnish economic growth. The key driver of economic growth was productivity. And the major engine of productivity growth was technology, especially the general purpose technologies (GPTs) electricity and ICT. A new GPT builds on previous knowledge, yet often in an uncertain, punctuated, fashion. Economic history, as well as the Finnish data analyzed in this study, teaches that growth is not a smooth process but is subject to episodes of sharp acceleration and deceleration which are associated with the arrival, diffusion and exhaustion of new general purpose technologies. These are technologies that affect the whole economy by transforming both household life and the ways in which firms conduct business. The findings of previous research, that Finnish economic growth exhibited late industrialisation and significant structural changes were corroborated by this study. Yet, it was not solely a story of manufacturing and structural change was more the effect of than the cause for economic growth. We offered an empirical resolution to the Artto-Pohjola paradox as we showed that a high rate of return on capital was combined with low capital productivity growth. This result is important in understanding Finnish economic growth 1975-90. The main contribution of this thesis was the growth accounting results on the impact of ICT on growth and productivity, as well as the comparison of electricity and ICT. It was shown that ICT s contribution to GDP growth was almost twice as large as electricity s contribution over comparable periods of time. Finland has thus been far more successful as an ICT producer than a producer of electricity. Unfortunately in the use of ICT the results were still more modest than for electricity. During the end of the period considered in this thesis, Finland switched from resource-based to ICT-based growth. However, given the large dependency on the ICT-producing sector, the ongoing outsourcing of ICT production to low wage countries provides a threat to productivity performance in the future. For a developed country only change is constant and history teaches us that it is likely that Finland is obliged to reorganize its economy once again in the digital era.

Realistisen uskonnonopetuksen oikeutus indoktrinaation ongelman valossa Tapio Puolimatkan ajattelussa

Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on selvittää ja analysoida Tapio Puolimatkan käsitystä realistisen uskonnonopetuksen oikeutuksesta indoktrinaation ongelman valossa. Käytän tutkimuksessa neljää päälähdettä, jotka ovat Puolimatkan kirjat: Opetusta vai indoktrinaatiota? Valta ja manipulaatio opetuksessa (1997), Opetuksen teoria. Konstruktivismista realismiin (2002), Usko, tieto ja myytit (2009) sekä Usko, tiede ja evoluutio (2008). Tutkielman tutkimusmetodi on systemaattinen analyysi. Realistisella uskonnonopetuksella ymmärretään tässä yhteydessä tunnustuksellisen uskonnonopetuksen synonyymiä, jolloin opetuksen tehtäväksi nähdään uskonnollisten uskomusten opettaminen tosina sisältöinä. Indoktrinaation käsitteen Puolimatka määrittelee opetuksen alakäsitteeksi, jolla on negatiivinen merkitys. Näin ollen Puolimatka ymmärtää indoktrinaation käsitteen kasvatuksellisesti hyväksyttävän opetuksen vastakohtana. Esitän tutkimuksen johdantoluvussa (luku 1) työhypoteesin, jonka mukaan teistinen realismi liittyy Puolimatkan ajattelussa realistisen uskonnonopetuksen sisällön lisäksi siihen uskomusten oikeuttamisen rakenteeseen, jonka varassa Puolimatka pyrkii oikeuttamaan realistisen uskonnonopetuksen. Tästä syystä tarkastelen tutkielman taustaluvussa (luku 2) teismin käsitettä kiinnittämällä erityisesti huomiota reformoidun epistemologian käsitykseen teismistä ja sen oikeutuksesta, jolla on keskeinen vaikutus Puolimatkan ajatteluun. Tutkielman ensimmäisessä tutkimusluvussa (luku 3) analysoin lähemmin Puolimatkan käsitystä indoktrinaation käsitteestä, jota vasten realistisen uskonnonopetuksen oikeutusta on mahdollista arvioida. Puolimatka määrittelee indoktrinaation käsitteen humanistisen kasvatusihanteen perustalta, joka jakautuu yleissivistyksen ihanteeseen ja älyllisen vapauden ihanteeseen. Kun yleissivistyksen ihanne korostaa tosiksi tiedettyjen sisältöjen opettamista, älyllisen vapauden ihanne korostaa opetuksen tieteellisyyttä, rationaalisuutta, kriittistä avoimuutta sekä dialogisuutta. Vaikka edelliset kasvatusperinteet ovat keskenään jännitteiset, Puolimatka pyrkii ajattelussaan luomaan niistä synteesin, jonka puitteissa myös realistinen uskonnonopetus voidaan oikeuttaa. Toisessa ja kolmannessa tutkimusluvussa (luvut 4 ja 5) tarkastelen Puolimatkan käsitystä realistisen uskonnonopetuksen sisällöllisestä oikeuttamisesta. Puolimatka argumentoi yhtäältä perinteisen indoktrinaation sisältökriteerin muotoa vastaan ja toisaalta sen puolesta, että uskonnolliset uskomukset voivat olla tiedollisesti oikeutettuja uskomuksia, jotka eivät riko tieteellisyyden ihannetta. Osoitan tässä yhteydessä, että Puolimatkan oma sisältökriteeri vaatii korjausta, jotta sen varassa voidaan mielekkäästi arvioida realistisen uskonnonopetuksen oikeutusta. Osoitan myös, että Puolimatkan määritelmä perususkomuksesta ja kristillisten perususkomusten sisällöstä ovat keskenään ristiriitaisia, jonka seurauksena realistisen uskonnonopetuksen sisällöllinen oikeutus kyseenalaistuu. Koska kysymystä realistisen uskonnonopetuksen oikeutuksesta ei voida Puolimatkan mukaan ratkaista vain opetussisältöjen näkökulmasta, viimeisessä tutkimusluvussa (luku 6) analysoin Puolimatkan käsitystä realistisen uskonnonopetuksen muodollisesta oikeutuksesta. Tällöin huomio kiinnitetään kysymykseen, miten realistista uskonnonopetusta voidaan harjoittaa kasvatuksellisesti hyväksyttävällä tavalla. Tässä yhteydessä osoitan, että Puolimatkan käsitys realistisen uskonnonopetuksen muodollisesta oikeutuksesta voidaan ymmärtää rationaalisuuden, kriittisen avoimuuden ja dialogisuuden käsitteiden pohjalta. Tämän jälkeen osoitan analyysini perusteella, että Puolimatkan käsitys kriittisestä avoimuudesta ajautuu ristiriitaan realistisen uskonnonopetuksen perustehtävän kanssa, jolloin sen mielekkyys kyseenalaistuu myös muodollisesta näkökulmasta. Taustaluvussa (luku 7) vedän yhteen tutkielman keskeisiä tutkimustuloksia osoittaen samalla työhypoteesin oikeaksi.

Media Education in the Finnish School System : A Conceptual Analysis of the Subject Didactic Dimension of Media Education

The aim of the doctoral dissertation was to further our theoretical and empirical understanding of media education as practised in the context of Finnish basic education. The current era of intensive use of the Internet is recognised too. The doctoral dissertation presents the subject didactic dimension of media education as one of the main results of the conceptual analysis. The theoretical foundation is based on the idea of dividing the concept of media education into media and education (Vesterinen et al., 2006). As two ends of the dimension, these two can be understood didactically as content and pedagogy respectively. In the middle, subject didactics is considered to have one form closer to content matter (Subject Didactics I learning about media) and another closer to general pedagogical questions (Subject Didactics II learning with/through media). The empirical case studies of the dissertation are reported with foci on media literacy in the era of Web 2.0 (Kynäslahti et al., 2008), teacher reasoning in media educational situations (Vesterinen, Kynäslahti - Tella, 2010) and the research methodological implications of the use of information and communication technologies in the school (Vesterinen, Toom - Patrikainen, 2010). As a conclusion, Media-Based Media Education and Cross-Curricular Media Education are presented as two subject didactic modes of media education in the school context. Episodic Media Education is discussed as the third mode of media education where less organised teaching, studying and learning related to media takes place, and situations (i.e. episodes, if you like) without proper planning or thorough reflection are in focus. Based on the theoretical and empirical understanding gained in this dissertation, it is proposed that instead of occupying a corner of its own in the school curriculum, media education should lead the wider change in Finnish schools.

Tietokonesimulaatioita kaasujen ymmärtämisen tukemiseen kemian lukio-opetuksessa

Modernit tieto- ja viestintätekniset sovellukset, kuten tietokonesimulaatiot, tarjoavat uusia mahdollisuuksia opiskelijoiden kaasujen käyttäytymisen ymmärtämisen tukemiseen. Aihe on opiskelijoille monien aikaisempien tutkimusten mukaan usein hyvin vaikea. Kaasujen käyttäytymisen perusteiden ymmärtäminen on edellytys monien muiden kemian ilmiöiden ymmärtämiselle. Opetussuunnitelman perusteissa tulisi painottaa enemmän kaasuja, niiden ominaisuuksia ja niihin liittyviä ilmiöitä jokaisella kemiallisen tiedon kolmesta tasosta. Kolmivaiheisessa kehittämistutkimuksessa kehitettiin tutkimuslähtöisesti tietokonesimulaatioita kaasujen ominaisuuksien ja käyttäytymisen ymmärtämisen tukemiseen kemian lukio-opetuksessa. Tutkimuksessa oli kolme tutkimusongelmaa. Ensimmäiseen tutkimusongelmaan, miten kaasuihin liittyviä asioita käsitellään kemian lukio-opetuksessa Suomessa, etsittiin vastausta tarpeiden kartoituksella. Tarveanalyysissä tutkittiin, miten kaasujen ominaisuuksia ja käyttäytymistä käsitellään lukion kemian ja fysiikan oppikirjoissa. Toiseen tutkimusongelmaan, minkälaiset tietokonesimulaatiot tukevat kaasujen submikroskooppisen tason ominaisuuksien ja käyttäytymisen ymmärtämistä kemian opiskelussa lukiossa, etsittiin vastausta kehitettäessä opetusaineisto. Tutkimuksessa kehitettiin kokoelma kaasujen ominaisuuksia ja käyttäytymistä submikroskooppisella tasolla käsitteleviä simulaatioharjoituksia, jotka voi tehdä Odyssey-ohjelmistolla. Kolmanteen tutkimusongelmaan, miten tutkimuksessa kehitetyt tietokonesimulaatiot tukivat lukio-opiskelijoiden ymmärrystä kaasujen submikroskooppisen tason ominaisuuksista ja käyttäytymisestä, etsittiin vastausta kokeilemalla ja arvioimalla kehitettyä opetusaineistoa. Tutkimusjoukkona oli 17 kemiasta innostunutta lukio-opiskelijaa. He kokeilivat kehitettyjä simulaatioharjoituksia Minustako kemisti? -tutkimuskurssilla kesällä 2006. Arvioinnissa käytettiin kyselytutkimusta ennen kokeilua ja sen jälkeen. Tutkimus osoitti, että tietokonesimulaatiot tukevat kaasujen ymmärtämistä kemian lukio-opetuksessa. Kehitetyt simulaatioharjoitukset muuttivat lukiolaisten virheellisiä käsityksiä tieteen käsitysten mukaisiksi. Odyssey todettiin hyväksi simulointiohjelmistoksi lukion kemian opetukseen. Toistaiseksi tietokonesimulaatioita käytetään kemian opetuksessa hyvin vähän. Tietokonesimulaatioiden käyttöä lukion kemian opetuksessa olisi pyrittävä lisäämään. Päämäärän saavuttamiseksi olisi kehitettävä nykyisiä ja suunniteltava lisää hyviä simulointiohjelmistoja, ja koulutettava opettajia niiden käytössä. Jatkossa tulisi tutkia, miten Odysseyllä voidaan tukea muiden kemian asioiden ymmärtämistä. Olisi hyödyllistä tutkia, tukeeko Odyssey kemian ymmärtämistä myös yliopistotason kemian opiskelussa. Tärkeää olisi myös tutkia erilaisten opetuksen työtapojen merkitystä tietokonesimulaatioilla opiskeltaessa.