Menestyksekkäät yliopistopelin pelaajat? Tutkimus nopeasti ja nuorena valmistumisesta

Succestul players of the university game? A study about the short duration of master’s degree studies and graduating at a young age The duration of studies has long been a topic of conversation. It was first mentioned in 1883, but the discussion has been quite active and topical for the last fifty years. During that time, there have been numerous committees, working groups for the Ministry of Education, and revisions to the structure of the master’s degree program. All of these have focused on lowering the duration of studies as well as the age at which students graduate. These two factors have been regarded as indicators of efficiency. Achieving these goals is seen to promote the successful transition from studies to work. In addition, the greater time that people spend working is thought to help with the fiscal burden of an aging population. The reasons for prolonged study seem to be: students working during the course of their studies; the actual workload of the studies, which sometimes does not correlate with the calculated workload; problems with the students’ course selections and with their financial support from the government; issues in teaching; and problems with university funding. This study focuses on students’ study experiences, their progress, and the university itself. Of particular interest was the students’ use of different resources—cultural, social, and economical capital. Participants in the study had graduated from the University of Turku between the years of 1999 and 2001 and were divided into two groups: prompt graduates, those who graduated among the fastest 18th percent in their faculty; and those who graduated at a slower pace. A survey (N=499) and interviews (N=69) were among the methods used, along with a compilation of statistics on the students’ duration of studies, the number of modules studied, and marks obtained. Bourdieu’s theory about fields and the games people play in those fields formed the theoretical background of this study. The university was seen to form a playing field with historically and politically changeable rules. The students playing in this field were considered to possess different economical, social, and cultural resources, which they use more or less successfully. Some of the strategies used by students result in gra¬duating at a young age and/or a short duration of study; some do not. This study divided the age of graduation and the duration of study into separate games. This allowed the study to determine the relationship between these two factors and to examine their similarities and differences. The study also focused on the idea of success. Short duration of studies and a young graduation age can be considered, be some, an indication of success in navigating the university field. This study aimed to see if this concept held true or whether these seeming indicators of success have negative side effects. The main result of this study is that, even though the games of duration and age have similarities, they are sufficiently diverse to be considered separate games, which need different resources. To graduate with a short duration of studies, it is important for a student to successfully view and navigate the university field, tailoring one’s studies and extracurricular activities to suit the individual. In the game of youth, the background of the student seemed to be of greater importance. The youngest graduates had spent more time with their parents, who also had higher educational qualifications. They also had higher achievement in their previous studies. This seems to indicate that their background allowed them to assimilate a better understanding of the school and university fields and that playing the university game was natural for them. As for the aspect of success, it seems that there are many ways to define the term. Youth on graduation and short duration of studies can be seen as two indicators of success. Both revealed negative and positive outcomes, even though short duration of studies seemed more often to be connected with positive outcomes. However, it seems that the best indicator for success is the way in which students organize study into their lives to support and suit their needs and abilities to realize a meaningful life and a successful entry into the field of work.

Porin seudun liikenneturvallisuussuunnitelma

Porin seudulle laadittiin liikenneturvallisuussuunnitelma Harjavallan, Huittisen, Kokemäen, Luvian, Merikarvian, Nakkilan, Pomarkun, Porin ja Ulvilan kuntien alueelle. Suunnitelmat laadittiin kuntien ja Varsinais-Suomen ELY-keskuksen yhteistyönä. Suunnitelma sisältää turvallisuuden parantamisen lisäksi kestävien liikkumismuotojen edistämistä. Seudun liikenneturvallisuuden ja liikkumisen ongelmia kartoitettiin kaikille kuntalaisille suunnatuilla kyselyillä, onnettomuusanalyysillä sekä maastokäynneillä. Onnettomuusanalyysin perusteella seudun liikenneturvallisuuden tila Porin seudulla on koko maan keskiarvoa heikompi. Vuosittain kuolee noin 10 henkilöä ja loukkaantuu noin 220 henkilöä. Seudulla tapahtuneista onnettomuuksista aiheutuu kustannuksia vuosittain keskimäärin noin 90 miljoonaa euroa, josta kuntien osuus on vuosittain noin 16 miljoonaa euroa. Kyselyn vastauksista ilmeni, että vastaajia huolestutti muun muassa jalankulku- ja pyöräväylien kunto ja esteettömyys sekä talvikunnossapidon taso. Autoilun olosuhteissa tyytymättömyyttä aiheutti teiden kunto ja kunnossapidon taso sekä kouluympäristöjen liikennejärjestelyt. Kyselyyn vastanneista 64 %:lla työ- tai koulumatkan pituus on korkeintaan 5 kilometriä, joten kävelyn ja pyöräilyn edistämisellä seudulla on hyvät edellytykset. Ongelma-analyysin sekä valtakunnallisten tavoitteiden pohjalta seudulle määritettiin liikenneturvallisuustavoitteet. Pitkän aikavälin liikenneturvallisuusvisioksi seudulle asetettiin, että kenenkään ei tarvitse kuolla tai loukkaantua vakavasti liikenteessä ja liikkuminen on vastuullista ja se koetaan turvalliseksi. Määrällisenä tavoitteena on, että nykyisestä 10 keskimäärin vuodessa kuolleesta seudulla kuolisi liikenteessä enintään 6 henkilöä (40 henkilöä / miljoona asukasta) vuonna 2014 ja enintään 3 henkilöä (24 henkilöä / miljoona asukasta) vuonna 2020. Loukkaantuneiden määrän tavoitteena on, että nykyisestä 218 henkilöstä vähennystä olisi 25 % (korkeintaan 163 henkilöä) vuoteen 2020 mennessä. Nuorten onnettomuusriskiä halutaan pienentää 25 % vuoteen 2020 mennessä siten, että heidän riskinsä lähenee muun väestön onnettomuusriskin tasoa. Liikenneympäristön parantamisehdotukset tehtiin noin 300 kohteeseen seudulla. Toimenpiteiden toteuttaminen vaiheistettiin kolmeen ohjeelliseen kiireellisyysluokkaan. Suunnitelmatyön aikana kuntien liikenneturvallisuustyötä aktivoitiin ja perustettiin uudet ryhmät niihin kuntiin, joista ryhmät puuttuivat. Hallintokuntatilaisuuksissa ideoitiin ja käsiteltiin eri liikkujaryhmille sopivia toimintamuotoja liikenneturvallisuuden ja kestävän liikkumisen edistämiseksi. Lisäksi muodostettiin seudullinen liikenneturvallisuusryhmä, joka seuraa ja koordinoi liikenneturvallisuustyötä tulevaisuudessa.

COAR - Confederation of Open Access Repositories: Towards a global open access repositories network for scholarship

Poster at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014

Opportunities, constraints and constrained opportunities – A study on mothers’ working time patterns in 22 European countries

The aim of this study was to analyse mothers’ working time patterns across 22 European countries. The focus was on three questions: how much mothers prefer to work, how much they actually work, and to what degree their preferred and actual working times are (in)consistent with each other. The focus was on cross-national differences in mothers’ working time patterns, comparison of mothers’ working times to that of childless women and fathers, as well as on individual- and country-level factors that explain the variation between them. In the theoretical background, the departure point was an integrative theoretical approach where the assumption is that there are various kinds of explanations for the differences in mothers’ working time patterns – namely structural, cultural and institutional – , and that these factors are laid in two levels: individual- and country-levels. Data were extracted from the European Social Survey (ESS) 2010 / 2011. The results showed that mothers’ working time patterns, both preferred and actual working times, varied across European countries. Four clusters were formed to illustrate the differences. In the full-time pattern, full-time work was the most important form of work, leaving all other working time forms marginal. The full-time pattern was perceived in terms of preferred working times in Bulgaria and Portugal. In polarised pattern countries, fulltime work was also important, but it was accompanied by a large share of mothers not working at all. In the case of preferred working times, many Eastern and Southern European countries followed it whereas in terms of actual working times it included all Eastern and Southern European countries as well as Finland. The combination pattern was characterised by the importance of long part-time hours and full-time work. It was the preferred working time pattern in the Nordic countries, France, Slovenia, and Spain, but Belgium, Denmark, France, Norway, and Sweden followed it in terms of actual working times. The fourth cluster that described mothers’ working times was called the part-time pattern, and it was illustrated by the prevalence of short and long part-time work. In the case of preferred working times, it was followed in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Besides Belgium, the part-time pattern was followed in the same countries in terms of actual working times. The consistency between preferred and actual working times was rather strong in a majority of countries. However, six countries fell under different working time patterns when preferred and actual working times were compared. Comparison of working mothers’, childless women’s, and fathers’ working times showed that differences between these groups were surprisingly small. It was only in part-time pattern countries that working mothers worked significantly shorter hours than working childless women and fathers. Results therefore revealed that when mothers’ working times are under study, an important question regarding the population examined is whether it consists of all mothers or only working mothers. Results moreover supported the use of the integrative theoretical approach when studying mothers’ working time patterns. Results indicate that mothers’ working time patterns in all countries are shaped by various opportunities and constraints, which are comprised of structural, cultural, institutional, and individual-level factors.

Vuorovaikutuskouluttajana työyhteisöissä

This thesis concerns organizing a workshop about interaction in the various communities represented by Helsinki city's social welfare department. There were seventeen workshops altogether and they were organized in different communities; for example, in a children's daycare centre. The aim was to gain experience in the planning and organizing of these kinds of workshop. The workshops focused on dealing with interactive quetions arising out of the very community which was taking part in the workshop. These questions were discussed and handled using a technique called forum-statues. This means that the problems arising from the community were presented as living pictures to the group. There was also a short theoretical element concerning interactions between people, self-esteem, the different phases in developing a group, and the effects of conflicts in groups. There was a high degree of interest in the research and places were soon filled. The workshops consisted of a warming part with a lot of playing, a deepening part with questions arising out of the group, and a relaxation and feedback part at the end. The basis of the workshop was similar for all seventeen workshops. The athmosphere in workshops was discussive and open. The participants were engouraged to express there opinions and point of views. Feedback from the participantswas very positive. The participants obtained new points of view, according there fellow workers, and the community spirit improved. Shortage of time was, unfortunately, a problem. With more time, it would have been possible to go deeper into the problems of interaction within the community. Ceratinly, the research proved that there would be great demand for this kind of workshop in future.

Luovuus ja itsetuntemus ohjaajantyössä

This research deals with obstacles and opportunities with respect to creativity. It mainly focuses on the author's most meaningful discoveries as an individual and a professional in the field of theatre during the past two years of her education. The research is a description of that transitional phase in her life. Firstly, the research discusses creativity and presence. Secondly, it describes the author personally and professionally and compares her earlier and current ways of working. It contemplates the obstacles and opportunities considering her self-knowledge and creativity, and disucsses the problems she has faced on the way to freedom and well-being. Following this, the author presents the tools for increasing her creativity, self-knowledge and body awareness in theatre work: the Gestalt Method, Acting with the Inner Partner and the Authentic Movement. She discusses the relativity between overall well-being in life and the quality of theatre work. The final section of the present research discusses the process of directing the play Suurin on rakkaus in 2006. It deals with issues such as self-knowledge in directing, group management, the importance of terror and excitement in directing and ways of enduring both. The conclusion explanes the reasons behind the author's capability of working with small groups, with creative and passionate theatre workers. It also lists the benefits of exploring one's passions, cooperating with enthusiastic and creative artists and the pursuit for balance in art and in everyday life.

Ilmanvaihtokoneen ohjauksen taloudellisuusvaikutukset

Tämän insinöörityön tarkoituksena oli luoda Insinööritoimisto Olof Granlund Oy:lle malliprojekti ilmanvaihtokoneen ohjauksen mahdollisesta sähköenergian säästöpotentiaalista. Insinöörityötä voidaan myöhemmin käyttää referenssinä tarjottaessa yrityksen palvelua asiakkaille energiakatselmointityössä kiinteistöihin, joissa on suuria ilmanvaihtokone-yksiköitä. Ensin työssä esitellään käytössä olevat, tutkittavat ilmanvaihtokoneet ja niiden toiminta. Sitten selvitetään ilmanvaihtolaitteiden ja niiden ohjauksen eri osien toiminta, sekä ohjausinformaatio, joka välittyy eri laitteiden välillä. Seuraavaksi työssä tutkitaan rakennusautomaation osuutta, sen hyötyä ja rakennetta kiinteistössä. Tämän jälkeen selvitetään hankkeen viranomaismääräykset. Sitten selvitetään, mistä koostuvat kustannukset ilmanvaihtokoneen ohjauksen uusimisessa. Lopuksi vielä tutkitaan, kuinka pitkä on tehtävän investoinnin takaisinmaksuaika, sekä mitkä ovat saneerauksen hiilidioksidi-päästövaikutukset. insinöörityön Lopputuloksena syntyi yrityksen sisäinen kansio. Kansion esimerkkilaskelmia ja laskentamenetelmiä on tarkoitus käyttää jatkossa referenssinä kiinteistönpito-osastolla sähkö- ja lvi-ryhmissä, niiden henkilöiden käytössä, jotka ovat tekemisissä energiakatselmointien kanssa.

Clinical Learning Environment and Supervision. Development and Validation of the CLES Evaluation Scale

The purpose of the study is: (1) to describe how nursing students' experienced their clinical learning environment and the supervision given by staff nurses working in hospital settings; and (2) to develop and test an evaluation scale of Clinical Learning Environment and Supervision (CLES). The study has been carried out in different phases. The pilot study (n=163) explored the association between the characteristics of a ward and its evaluation as a learning environment by students. The second version of research instrument (which was developed by the results of this pilot study) were tested by an expert panel (n=9 nurse teachers) and test-retest group formed by student nurses (n=38). After this evaluative phase, the CLES was formed as the basic research instrument for this study and it was tested with the Finnish main sample (n=416). In this phase, a concurrent validity instrument (Dunn & Burnett 1995) was used to confirm the validation process of CLES. The international comparative study was made by comparing the Finnish main sample with a British sample (n=142). The international comparative study was necessary for two reasons. In the instrument developing process, there is a need to test the new instrument in some other nursing culture. Other reason for comparative international study is the reflecting the impact of open employment markets in the European Union (EU) on the need to evaluate and to integrate EU health care educational systems. The results showed that the individualised supervision system is the most used supervision model and the supervisory relationship with personal mentor is the most meaningful single element of supervision evaluated by nursing students. The ward atmosphere and the management style of ward manager are the most important environmental factors of the clinical ward. The study integrates two theoretical elements - learning environment and supervision - in developing a preliminary theoretical model. The comparative international study showed that, Finnish students were more satisfied and evaluated their clinical placements and supervision with higher scores than students in the United Kingdom (UK). The difference between groups was statistical highly significant (p= 0.000). In the UK, clinical placements were longer but students met their nurse teachers less frequently than students in Finland. Arrangements for supervision were similar. This research process has produced the evaluation scale (CLES), which can be used in research and quality assessments of clinical learning environment and supervision in Finland and in the UK. CLES consists of 27 items and it is sub-divided into five sub-dimensions. Cronbach's alpha coefficient varied from high 0.94 to marginal 0.73. CLES is a compact evaluation scale and user-friendliness makes it suitable for continuing evaluation.

Eri-ikäisten teollisuustyöntekijöiden arvioita yksilöllisistä kasvuedellytyksistä ja ryhmätyöstä

Summary: Prerequisites for growth and working in groups as assessed by industrial workers of all ages