The Development of the Concept of Music Education in Estonian Kindergartens, 1905-2008 : a Historical–Critical Overview

The dissertation focuses on the development of music education in Estonian kindergartens and the factors influencing it, analysed in the historical perspective relying on post-positivist paradigm. The study is based on the factors and subjects’ views on kindergarten music education from 1905 to 2008, recorded in written sources or ascertained by means of questionnaire and interview. The dissertation deals with music’s functions, music education in retrospective, factors influencing child’s musical aptitude and development and teacher’s role in it through the prism of history. The formation of Estonian kindergarten music education and the phenomenon of its development have been researched by stages: the first manifestations of music in kindergarten in 1905 - 1940; the formation of the concept of music education in 1941 - 1967 and the application of a unified system in 1968 - 1990. The work also outlines innovative trends in music education at the end of the last millennium and the beginning of this century, in 1991 - 2008. The study relies on a combined design and an analysis of historical archival material and empirical data. The empirical part of the study is based on the questionnaire (n=183) and interviews (n=18) carried out with kindergarten music teachers. The data has been analysed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The subject of the research is the content and activity types of kindergarten music education and the role of music teacher in their implementation. The study confirmed that fundamental changes took place in Estonian kindergarten music education due to the change in political power in the 1940s. Following the example of the Soviet system of education, music in kindergarten became an independent music educational orientation and the position of a professionally trained music teacher was established (1947). It was also confirmed that in the newly independent Estonian Republic under the influence of innovative trends a new paradigm of music education arose from the traditional singing-centred education towards the more balanced use of music activity types (attaching importance to the child-centred approach, an increase in the number and variety of activity types). The most important conclusions made in the dissertation are that there has been improvement and development deriving from contemporary trends in the clear concept that has evolved in Estonian kindergarten music education over a century; professionally trained music teachers have had a crucial role in shaping it; and kindergarten music education is firmly positioned as a part of preschool education in Estonian system of education. Key words: early childhood music education, history of music education, kindergarten music education, early childhood music teachers

Kasvilajien tunnistaminen, oppiminen ja opettaminen yleissivistävän koulutuksen näkökulmasta

The purpose of the research was to determine how well Finnish pupils and students of different ages recognize plant species, which variables explain recognition of plant species, what plants and nature mean to the subjects and how plant species identification should be taught in general education in Finland. The subjects were pupils from: every class level of the primary schools (grades 1 6); lower- secondary school (grades 7 9); high school (grades I II); university departments of teacher education and classroom teachers and teachers from university involved with environmental teaching and also experts from education and botany. A total of 883 people took part in the research. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used. The quantitative methods were: a) plant species recognition test, where 70 plant species photos were shown to subjects and b) an experiment in which three experimental groups had a plant recognition test on the nature trail and the three comparison groups were tested on recognition of the same species in classroom. The testing materials consisted of 31 real plants outdoors and 31 photos taken of these real plant species that were shown to pupils from fourth, fifth and sixth classes (grade levels) from primary school. The qualitative methods were a questionnaire administered to pupils from elementary school and high school and students from the department of teacher education, to teachers from university and interviews, where 3 5 pupils and students who recognized the plant species best or worst in the recognition test were selected to be interviewed. Furthermore, classroom teachers from primary school and experts were interviewed. The research results showed that on average plant species were recognized insufficiently on every level of education. There was also variation between answers from primary school to university teachers. However, species recognition skills improved from primary school to university teachers. Among other things, sex and place of residence explained species recognition skills, because girls and pupils from rural areas knew plant species statistically significantly better than boys or pupil from cities. Almost every pupil, student and all classroom teachers wanted to recognize plant species better. Many pupils mentioned that a motivating teaching method would be to go outdoors and investigate the plant species themselves. University teachers and experts also mentioned that the best and most efficient learning and teaching method for species recognition skills, is to practice in nature. We should teach plant species in nature, using many senses and teaching methods. Also new technology could be used in teaching species recognition skills. Keywords: plant species recognition, plant species education, general education

Mitä autismin kirjon opiskelijat oppivat valmentavassa koulutuksessa

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the special vocational training programme, which aimed at enhancing the pupils with autism spectrum to prepare themselves for work and independent life. The vocational training programme is based on TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication handicapped CHildren), which takes into account the autism spectrum disorders and autistic behaviour. TEACCH is based on the principles of structured teaching, functional teaching and preparation training for work and independent life. The TEACCH has been adapted to Finnish society and the educational system. Treatment programmes were individually designed for each student´s educational needs. There is also an important role for the AAPEP rating scale (Adolescent and Adult Psychoeducational Profile). The AAPEP has been the major tool for planning and following the courses. The AAPEP is an assessment instrument designed by the TEACCH programme, and it is used to provide an evaluation of current and potential skills. The AAPEP contains three scales: a direct observation scale, a home scale and a school / work scale. The AAPEP includes six test variables: vocational skills, independent functions, functional communication, interpersonal behaviour, vocational behaviour and leisure skills; these are evaluated at three levels: pass, emerge and fail. The subjects were 49 students (65% male and 35 % female) with autism spectrum, who have been followed and tested several times, also one year after the vocational training. The design is therefore a longitudinal one. The research data were collected 1997-2004 using the AAPEP rating scales. The teachers have used the AAPEP scales and the codings have been checked by the researcher. The results of the principal component analysis (PCA) suggested that the structure of AAPEP rating scales works quite well as a hypothesis. The factor structure of the scales of the AAPEP was almost the same in these data as in the original publications. The learning-and-changes results showed that learning is a slow process, but that there were also intended changes in several AAPEP areas. The Cohen´s kappa was used as an effect-size measure and the most important result of this research showed that the student´s skills were developing on a school / work scale; vocational skills variable (0,34), vocational behaviour variable (0,28), leisure skills variable (0,26) and on a direct observation scale; interpersonal behaviour variable (0,21). On a home scale skills of some students were developing negatively and also that effect-size was small. The results showed that the students´ vocational skills and vocational behaviour will continue to develop after school in many areas. There were differences between scales. The result of this research shows that the student´s skills were developing significantly in 3 of 48 variables on a direct observation scale and also on a home scale. On a school / work scale student´s skills were developing significantly in 17 of 48 variables. This result implies that students can do the work without extra assistance if there exist continuing supports for the skills after the vocational training. The fully independent life of students will be difficult, because their independent functions, functional communications and leisure skills regressed after the schooling. This seems to indicate that they will not manage their daily life without support. The students and their parents said that the treatment programmes were individually designed for each student s educational needs, and that they were satisfied with the programmes and services. Generally, it can be concluded that vocational special education can be developed for pupils with autistic syndrome and the detailed teaching can be done using TEACCH principles and applying the tool of AAPEP.

Onnistuneen ikääntymisen ymmärrystä rakentamassa : Fysioterapeuttiopiskelijoiden oppiminen kestävää kehitystä edistävän kasvatuksen kehyksessä

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the possibilities and interconnec-tions that exist concerning the relationship between the University of Applied Sci-ences and the Learning by Developing action model (LbD), on the one hand, and education for sustainable development and high-quality learning as a part of profes-sional competence development on the other. The research and learning environment was the Coping at Home research project and its Caring TV project, which provided the context of the Physiotherapy for Elderly People professional study unit. The re-searcher was a teacher and an evaluator of her own students learning. The aims of the study were to monitor and evaluate learning at the individual and group level using tools of high-quality learning − improved concept maps − related to understanding the projects core concept of successful ageing. Conceptions were evaluated through aspects of sustainable development and a conceptual basis of physiotherapy. As edu-cational research this was a multi-method case study design experiment. The three research questions were as follows. 1. What kind of individual conceptions and conceptual structures do students build concerning the concept of successful ageing? How many and what kind of concepts and propositions do they have a) before the study unit, b) after the study unit, c) after the social-knowledge building? 2. What kind of social-knowledge building exists? a) What kind of social learn-ing process exists? b) What kind of socially created concepts, propositions and conceptual structures do the students possess after the project? c) What kind of meaning does the social-knowledge building have at an individual level? 3. How do physiotherapy competences develop according to the results of the first and second research questions? The subjects were 22 female, third-year Bachelor of Physiotherapy students in Laurea University of Applied Sciences in Finland. Individual learning was evaluated in 12 of the 22 students. The data was collected as a part of the learning exercises of the Physiotherapy for Elderly People study unit, with improved concept maps both at individual and group levels. The students were divided into two social-knowledge building groups: the first group had 15 members and second 7 members. Each group created a group-level concept map on the theme of successful ageing. These face-to-face interactions were recorded with CMapTools and videotaped. The data consists of both individually produced concept maps and group-produced concept maps of the two groups and the videotaped material of these processes. The data analysis was carried out at the intersection of various research traditions. Individually produced data was analysed based on content analysis. Group-produced data was analysed based on content analysis and dialogue analysis. The data was also analysed by simple statistical analysis. In the individually produced improved concept maps the students conceptions were comprehensive, and the first concept maps were found to have many concepts unrelated to each other. The conceptual structures were between spoke structures and chain structures. Only a few professional concepts were evident. In the second indi-vidual improved concept maps the conception was more professional than earlier, particulary from the functional point of view. The conceptual structures mostly re-sembled spoke structures. After the second individual concept mapping social map-ping interventions were made in the two groups. After this, multidisciplinary concrete links were established between all concepts in almost all individual concept maps, and the interconnectedness of the concepts in different subject areas was thus understood. The conceptual structures were mainly net structures. The concepts in these individual concept maps were also found to be more professional and concrete than in the previ-ous concept maps of these subjects. In addition, the wider context dependency of the concepts was recognized in many individual concept maps. This implies a conceptual framework for specialists. The social-knowledge building was similar to a social learning process. Both socio-cultural processes and cognitive processes were found to develop students conceptual awareness and the ability to engage in intentional learning. In the knowl-edge-building process two aspects were found: knowledge creation and pedagogical action. The discussion during the concept-mapping process was similar to a shared thinking process. In visualising the process with CMapTools, students easily comple-mented each others thoughts and words, as if mutually telepathic . Synthesizing, supporting, asking and answering, peer teaching and counselling, tutoring, evaluating and arguing took place, and students were very active, self-directed and creative. It took hundreds of conversations before a common understanding could be found. The use of concept mapping in particular was very effective. The concepts in these group-produced concept maps were found to be professional, and values of sustainable development were observed. The results show the importance of developing the contents and objectives of the European Qualification Framework as well as education for sustainable development, especially in terms of the need for knowledge creation, global responsibility and systemic, holistic and critical thinking in order to develop clinical practice. Keywords: education for sustainable development, learning, knowledge building, improved concept map, conceptual structure, competence, successful ageing

Noviisiopettajana peruskoulussa : Aloittelevien opettajien autenttisia kokemuksia ensimmäisestä opettajavuodesta

As a Novice Teacher at Comprehensive School: The authentic experiences of the beginning teachers during their first year of teaching The aim of this study is to explicate the novice year of teaching in the light of teachers´ authentic experiences. The subject of this investigation is the teachers´ subjective world of experience during their first academic year of teaching and the sharing of these experiences in collaborative consulting meetings. The themes discussed in the meetings were introduced into the collaborative group by the novice teachers themselves, and the progress of discussion was con-trolled by them. The research data was gathered in a consultative working group where the way a novice teacher starts to interpret, analyze and identify his/her own complex and dynamic teaching situations was observed. The research data gathered in this way illuminates novice teachers´ world of experience and mental picture as well as the unconscious sides of school life. In a theoretical frame of reference, the work of a teacher is identified, according to systemic scientific thought, as a dynamic triangle in which the basic elements are the personality of the teacher, the role of the teacher and the school as an organization. These basic elements form a whole within which the teacher works. The dynamics of this triangle in a teacher’s work are brought to light through the study of the phenomena of groups and group dynamics since a teacher works either as a member of a group (working community), as a leader of a group (teaching situations) or in a network (parent – teacher cooperation). Therefore, tension and force are always present in teaching work. The main research problem was to explain how a novice teacher experiences his/her first working year as a teacher. The participants (n=5) were teaching at five different comprehensive schools in the city of Helsinki. This was their first long-term post as a teacher. The research data consists of seven collaborative consulting meetings, as well as recordings and transcripts of the meetings. A classificatory framework was developed for data analysis which enabled a sys-tematic qualitative content analysis based on theory and material. In addition to the consulting meetings, the teachers were interviewed at the beginning and at the end of the process of collecting the research material. The interviews were used to interpret the meanings of the content analysis based on raw data. The findings show that there is a gap between teacher education and the reality of school life, which causes difficulties for a novice teacher during his/her first teaching year. The gap is rather a global educational problem than a national one, and therefore it is independent of cultural factors. Novice teachers desire a well-structured theory of teacher education and a clear programme where the themes and content delve deeper and deeper into the subject matter during the study years. According to the novice teachers, teacher education frequently consists of sporadic and unconnected study and class situations. An individual content weakness of teacher education is the lack of insufficient initiation into evaluation processes. The novice teachers suggest that a student must be provided good-quality and competent guidance during the study years and during his or her induction. There should be a well-organized, structured and systematic induction program for novice teachers. The induction program should be overseen by an organization so that the requirements of a qualified induction can be met. The findings show that the novice teachers find the first year of teaching at comprehensive school emotionally loaded. The teachers experienced teaching as difficult work and found the workload heavy. Nevertheless, they enjoyed their job because, as they said, there were more pleasant than unpleasant things in their school day. Their main feeling at school was the joy of success in teaching. The novice teachers felt satisfaction with their pupils. The teachers experienced the more serious feelings of anger and disgust when serious violence took place. The most difficult situations arose from teaching pupils who had mental health problems. The toughest thing in the teacher´s work was teaching groups that are too heterogeneous. The most awkward problems in group dynamics happened when new immigrants, who spoke only their own languages, were integrated into the groups in the middle of the school year. Teachers wanted to help children who needed special help with learning but restated at the same time that the groups being taught shouldn’t be too heterogeneous. The teachers wished for help from school assistants so that they could personally concentrate more on teaching. Not all the parents took care of their children according to the comprehensive school law. The teachers found it hard to build a confidential relationship between home and school. In this study, novice teachers found it hard to join the teaching staff at school. Some of the teachers on staff were very strong and impulsive, reacting loudly and emotionally. These teachers provoked disagreement, conflicts, power struggles and competition among the other teachers. Although the novice teachers of the study were all qualified teachers, three of them were not interested in a permanent teaching job. For these teachers teaching at a primary school was just a project, a short period in their working life. They will remain in the teaching profession as long as they are learning new things and enjoying their teaching job. This study is an independent part of the research project on Interplay – Connecting Academic Teacher Education and Work, undertaken by the Department of Applied Sciences of Education at the University of Helsinki. Key words: novice teacher, emotions, groups and group dynamics, authority, co-operation between home and school, teacher community, leadership at school, induction, consulting

Visuaalis-spatiaalisten työmuistivalmiuksien yhteys (esi)matemaattisiin taitoihin ja merkitys osana matemaattisilta taidoiltaan heikkojen lasten ja nuorten kognitiivista profiilia

Tämän itsenäisistä osatutkimuksista koostuvan tutkimussarjan tavoitteena oli pyrkiä täydentämään kuvaa matemaattisilta taidoiltaan heikkojen lasten ja nuorten tiedonkäsittelyvalmiuksista selvittämällä, ovatko visuaalis-spatiaaliset työmuistivalmiudet yhteydessä matemaattiseen suoriutumiseen. Teoreettinen viitekehys rakentui Baddeleyn (1986, 1997) kolmikomponenttimallin ympärille. Työmuistikäsitys oli kuitenkin esikuvaansa laajempi sisällyttäen visuaalis-spatiaaliseen työmuistiin Cornoldin ja Vecchin (2003) termein sekä passiiviset varastotoiminnot että aktiiviset prosessointitoiminnot. Yhteyksiä työmuistin ja matemaattisten taitojen välillä tarkasteltiin viiden eri osatutkimuksen avulla. Kaksi ensimmäistä keskittyivät alle kouluikäisten lukukäsitteen hallinnan ja visuaalis-spatiaalisten työmuistivalmiuksen tutkimiseen ja kolme jälkimmäistä peruskoulun yhdeksäsluokkalaisten matemaattisten taitojen ja visuaalis-spatiaalisten työmuistitaitojen välisten yhteyksien selvittämiseen. Tutkimussarjan avulla pyrittiin selvittämään, ovatko visuaalis-spatiaaliset työmuistivalmiudet yhteydessä matemaattiseen suoriutumiseen sekä esi- että yläkouluiässä (osatutkimukset I, II, III, IV, V), onko yhteys spesifi rajoittuen tiettyjen visuaalis-spatiaalisten valmiuksien ja matemaattisen suoriutumisen välille vai onko se yleinen koskien matemaattisia taitoja ja koko visuaalis-spatiaalista työmuistia (osatutkimukset I, II, III, IV, V) tai työmuistia laajemmin (osatutkimukset II, III) sekä onko yhteys työmuistispesifi vai selitettävissä älykkyyden kaltaisella yleisellä päättelykapasiteetilla (osatutkimukset I, II, IV). Tutkimussarjan tulokset osoittavat, että kyky säilyttää ja käsitellä hetkellisesti visuaalis-spatiaalista informaatiota on yhteydessä matemaattiseen suoriutumiseen eikä yhteyttä voida selittää yksinomaan joustavalla älykkyydellä. Suoriutuminen visuaalis-spatiaalista työmuistia mittaavissa tehtävissä on yhteydessä sekä alle kouluikäisten esimatemaattisten taitojen hallintaan että peruskoulun yhdeksäsluokkalaisten matematiikan taitoihin. Matemaattisilta taidoiltaan heikkojen lasten ja nuorten visuaalis-spatiaalisten työmuistiresurssien heikkoudet vaikuttavat kuitenkin olevan sangen spesifejä rajoittuen tietyntyyppisissä muistitehtävissä vaadittaviin valmiuksiin; kaikissa visuaalis-spatiaalisen työmuistin valmiuksia mittaavissa tehtävissä suoriutuminen ei ole yhteydessä matemaattisiin taitoihin. Työmuistivalmiuksissa ilmenevät erot sekä alle kouluikäisten että kouluikäisten matemaattisilta taidoiltaan heikkojen ja normaalisuoriutujien välillä näyttävät olevan kuitenkin jossain määrin yhteydessä kielellisiin taitoihin viitaten vaikeuksien tietynlaiseen kasautumiseen; niillä matemaattisesti heikoilla, joilla on myös kielellisiä vaikeuksia, on keskimäärin laajemmat työmuistiheikkoudet. Osalla matematiikassa heikosti suoriutuvista on näin ollen selvästi keskimääräistä heikommat visuaalis-spatiaaliset työmuistivalmiudet, ja tämä heikkous saattaa olla yksi mahdollinen syy tai vaikeuksia lisäävä tekijä heikon matemaattisen suoriutumisen taustalla. Visuaalis-spatiaalisen työmuistin heikkous merkitsee konkreettisesti vähemmän mentaalista prosessointitilaa, joka rajoittaa oppimista ja suoritustilanteita. Tiedonkäsittelyvalmiuksien heikkous liittyy nimenomaan oppimisnopeuteen, ei asioiden opittavuuteen sinänsä. Mikäli oppimisympäristö ottaa huomioon valmiuksien rajallisuuden, työmuistiheikkoudet eivät todennäköisesti estä asioiden oppimista sinänsä. Avainsanat: Työmuisti, visuaalis-spatiaalinen työmuisti, matemaattiset taidot, lukukäsite, matematiikan oppimisvaikeudet

Anthraquinones from the Fungus Dermocybe sanguinea as Textile Dyes

This study is based on the multidiciplinary approach of using natural colorants as textile dyes. The author was interested in both the historical and traditional aspects of natural dyeing as well as the modern industrial applications of the pure natural compounds. In the study, the anthraquinone compounds were isolated as aglycones from the ectomycorrhizal fungus Dermocybe sanguinea. The endogenous beta-glucosidase of the fungus was used to catalyse the hydrolysis of the O-glycosyl linkage in emodin- and dermocybin-1-beta-D-glucopyranosides. The method, in which 10.45 kg of fresh fungi was starting material, yielded two fractions: 56.0 g of Fraction 1 (94% of the total amount of pigment,) consisting almost exclusively of the main pigments emodin and dermocybin, and 3.3 g of Fraction 2 (6%) consisting mainly of the anthraquinone carboxylic acids. The anthraquinone compounds in Fractions 1 and 2 were separated by one- and two-dimensional thin-layer-chromatography (TLC) using silica plates. 1D TLC showed that neither an acidic nor a basic solvent system alone separated completely all the anthraquinones isolated from D. sanguinea, in spite of the variation of the rations of the solvent components in the systems. Thus, a new 2D TLC technique was developed, applying n-pentanol-pyridine-methanol (6:4:3, v/v/v) and toluene-ethyl acetate-ethanol-formic acid (10:8:1:2, v/v/v/v) as eluents. Fifteen different anthraquinone derivatives were completely separated from one another. Emodin, physcion, endocrocin, dermolutein, dermorubin, 5-chlorodermorubin, emodin-1-beta-D-glucopyranoside, dermocybin-1-beta-D-glucopyranoside and dermocybin, and five new compounds, not earlier identified in D. sanguinea, 7-chloroemodin, 5,7-dichloroemodin, 5,7-dichloroendocrocin, 4-hydroxyaustrocorticone and austrocorticone, were separated and identified on the basis of their Rf-values, UV/Vis spectra and mass spectra. One substance remained unidentified, because of its very low concentration. The anthraquinones in Fractions 1 and 2 were preparatively separeted by liquid-liquid partition, with isopropylmethyl ketone and aqueous phosphate buffer as the solvent system. Advantage was taken of the principle of stepwise pH-gradient elution. The multiple liquid-liquid partition (MLLP) offered an excellent method for the preparative separation of compounds, which contain acidic groups such as the phenolic OH and COOH groups. Due to their strong aggregation properties, these compounds are, without derivatization, very difficult to separate on a preparative scale by chromatographic methods. By the MLLP method remarkable separations were achieved for the components in each mixture. Emodin and dermocybin were both obtained from Fraction 1 in a purity of at least 99%. Pure emodin and dermocybin were applied as mordant dyes to wool and polyamide and as disperse dyes to polyester and polyamide, using the high temperature (HT) technique. A mixture of dermorubin and 5-chlorodermorubin was applied as an acid dye to wool. In these experiments, synthetic dyes were used as references. Experiments were also performed using water extract of the air-dried fungi as dye liquor for wool and silk. The main colouring compounds in the crude water extract were emodin and dermocybin, which indicated that the O-glycosyl linkages in emodin- and dermocybin-1-beta-D-glucopyranosides were broken by the beta-glucosidase enzyme. Apparently, the hydrolysis occurred during the drying of the fungi and during the soaking of the dried fruit bodies overnight when preparing the dyebath. The colour of each dyed material was investigated in terms of the CIELAB L*, a* and b* values, and the colour fastness to light, washing and rubbing was tested according to the ISO standards. In the mordant dyeing experiments, emodin dyed wool and polyamide yellow and red, depending on the pH of the dyebath. Dermocybin gave purple and violet colours. The colour fastness of the mordant-dyed fabrics varied from good to moderate. The fastness properties of the natural anthraquinone carboxylic acids on wool were good, indicating the strength of the ionic bonds between the COO- groups of the dyes and the NH3+ groups of the fibres. In the disperse dyeing experiments, emodin dyed polyester bright yellow and dermocybin bright reddish-orange, and the fabrics showed excellent colour fastness. In contrast, emodin and dermocybin successfully dyed polyamide brownish-orange and wine-red, respectively, but with only moderate fastness. In industrial dyeing processes, natural anthraquinone aglycone mixtures dyed wool and silk well even at low concentrations of mordants, i.e. with 10% of the weight of the fibre (owf) of KAl(SO4)2 and 1 or 0.5% owf of other mordants. This study showed that purified natural anthraquinone compounds can produce bright hues with good colour-fastness properties in different textile materials. Natural anthraquinones have a significant potential for new dyeing techniques and will provide useful alternatives to synthetic dyes.

Kouluruokailuhenkilöstö matkalla kasvattajaksi

The National Board of Education in Finland has defined school catering as a part of education in comprehensive schools. School catering is defined in Finnish law and is financed by the municipalities. The emphasis on supplementary education in the school curriculum obliges the whole staff to learn new professional roles and to co-operate in the school com-munity. An in-service training programme, Smart Catering Staff (SCS) was designed and put into practice among school catering staff. The aim of the one-year SCS programme was to add to and encourage the development of the know-how of catering personnel regarding new challenges in the school community as well as to enhance and empower their educator’s role in the school. The content of the programme consisted of four two-day intensive teaching sessions as well as assignments which were carried out between theese sessions. The main contents of the SCS programme were personal and organizational learning, school curriculum concerning school catering, school culture and co-operation, customer service, and the role of catering staff as educators. The data in this action research was gathered from 2000 to 2008. The results show that the SCS programme can change the work community culture in that the catering staff is more encouraged to participate in the development projects of the school, and can see themselves more as educators alongside the teaching staff. It is concluded that in school communities all adults can be educators, but to achieve this aim empowering in-service training is needed. The school catering staff’s commitment to participation in the education align with the educational goals of the school unite children’s and teens safety nets. This can affect for example the growth of communal responsibility and prevention of alienation. Key words: School Catering, Smart School Catering Staff, Expanded Education, School Community, Action Research

"Olen enemmän alkanut pohtimaan ja sanomaan ääneen mitä ajattelen" : ammatillinen kehittyminen ja yhteisöllinen palaute päiväkodin työtiimeissä

I have more often thought over what I am thinking and also I have often told it to others - professional development and collegial feedback on kindergarten teams. The need for professional feedback surfaces year after year in enquiries made among staff members in the field of early childhood education. Because the pressure to be effective adds to the workload of the heads of kindergartens, there are few opportunities to give staff concrete feedback on a daily basis. Because peers are able to observe each other close at hand, their reciprocal feedback can compensate for that of the kindergarten head. In this study the practical training process of collegial feedback is studied and also the opportunities for feedback as a means of supporting professional development in the context of kindergarten. The development project involving the entire kindergarten community (N=21) was implemented in 2003-2004 through three developing cycles. The Johar´s Window , produced by Luft and Jung with the Model of Situational Leadership by Hersey and Blanchard, acted as a theoretical frame of reference. It has been used in this study both for its qualitative and its quantitative methods. The data were carried out through questions, interviews, diaries, written descriptions and monthly evaluations. The qualitative and quantitative methods were also used in analysing the data. The results showed that during the training process, the staff as a giver of feedback moved from the professional basic level to the professional maturity level. Their awareness of both their own and their peers´ know-how expanded from the initial state to the final state. It became evident that team size is the essential key element in the practise of giving feedback to team members. The team atmosphere and the commitment of the team members are in significant factors in the training of giving and receiving feedback. As a result of analyses, delivering feedback was grouped into three categories: developmental feedback, descriptive feedback and either supportive or destructive feedback. Receiving feedback was likewise groupped into three categories: aspiring to develop, unaccommodating and accepting. The ability to control feelings improved along with the skills of giving feedback; it was possible to analyse development through the professional development model represented in the theory of the study. The results showed that professional know-how of other kinds also developed during the process. Giving feedback among fellow workers enables team members to receive feedback everyday. Training to give feedback means examining a field of professional know-how and also formulating shared rules. The results of this study give support to previous studies that have emphasised practical training in natural circumstances. Keywords: feedback, professional development, learning at work

Is a Majority Enough? Psychological Well-being and Its Relation to Academic and Prosocial Motivation, Self-regulation and Achievement at school

This cross-sectional study analyzed psychological well-being at school using the Self-Determination theory as a theoretical frame-work. The study explored basic psychological needs fulfillment (BPNS), academic (SRQ-A), prosocial self-regulation (SRQ-P) and motivation, and their relationship with achievement in general, special and selective education (N=786, 444 boys, 345 girls, mean age 12 yrs 8 mths). Motivation starts behavior which becomes guided by self-regulation. The perceived locus of control (PLOC) affects how self-determined this behavior will be; in other words, to what extent it is autonomously regulated. In order learn and thus to be able to accept external goals, a student has to feel emotionally safe and have sufficient ego-flexibility—all of which builds on satisfied psychological needs. In this study those conditions were explored. In addition to traditional methods Self-organizing maps (SOM), was used in order to cluster the students according to their well-being, self-regulation, motivation and achievement scores. The main impacts of this research were: a presentation of the theory based alternative of studying psychological well-being at school and usage of both the variable and person-oriented approach. In this Finnish sample the results showed that the majority of students felt well, but the well-being varied by group. Overall about for 11–15% the basic needs were deprived depending on the educational group. Age and educational group were the most effective factors; gender was important in relation to prosocial identified behavior. Although the person-oriented SOM-approach, was in a large extent confirming what was no-ticed by using comparison of the variables: the SEN groups had lower levels of basic needs fulfillment and less autonomous self-regulation, interesting deviations of that rule appeared. Some of the SEL- and GEN-group members ended up in the more unfavorable SOM-clusters, and not all SEN-group members belonged to the poorest clusters (although not to the best either). This evidence refines the well-being and self-regulation picture, and may re-direct intervention plans, and turn our focus also on students who might otherwise remain unnoticed. On the other hand, these results imply simultaneously that in special education groups the average is not the whole truth. On the basis of theoretical and empirical considerations an intervention model was sug-gested. The aim of the model was to shift amotivation or external motivation in a more intrinsic direction. According to the theoretical and empirical evidence this can be achieved first by studying the self-concept a student has, and then trying to affect both inner and environmental factors—including a consideration of the basic psychological needs. Keywords: academic self-regulation, prosocial self-regulation, basic psychological needs, moti-vation, achievement

"Mut ei tää oo hei midsommarista!" - ruotsin kielen viestinnällinen suullinen harjoittelu yhteistoiminnallisten skeema- ja elaborointitehtävien avulla

Communicative oral practice in Swedish through collaborative schema-based and elaboration tasks The general aim of this study was to learn how to better understand foreign language communicative oral practice and to develop it as part of communicative language teaching. The language-specific aim was to study how Swedish was being practised communicatively and orally in a classroom context as part of the didactic teaching-studying-learning process, and how the students' communicative oral practice in Swedish was carried out through collaborative schema-based and elaboration tasks. The scientific problem of this study focused on the essence of foreign language communicative oral proficiency. The research questions were concerned with 1) the students' involvement in carrying out the given oral tasks; 2) the features of communication and interaction strategies; 3) thematic vocabulary, and 4) the students' experiences and conceptions of the communicative oral tasks used. The study consisted of two groups of students from a Helsinki-area school (a group of upper secondary school students, Swedish Level A, Courses 2 and 3, n=9; and a group of basic education students, Swedish Level B, Course 2, n=13). The study was carried out as a pedagogically oriented case study which included certain features of ethnographic research and where the students' teacher acted as a researcher of her own work. The communicative oral practice contained five different tasks. The research data were gathered through systematic observation, audio recordings and by a questionnaire. The data were analysed through ethnographic content analysis methods. The main research finding was that a good deal of social interaction, collaboration and communication took place between the students when involved in communicative oral practice in Swedish. The students took almost optimal advantage of the allocated training time. They mostly used Swedish when participating in interactional communication. Finnish was mostly used by the students when they were deciding how to carry out a given task, aiming at intersubjectivity or negotiating meaning. The students were relaxed when practising Swedish. They also asked for and gave linguistic help in the spirit of collaborative learning principles. This resulted in interaction between students that highlighted certain features of negotiation of meaning, scaffolding and collaborative dialogue. Asking for and giving help in language issues concentrated mainly on vocabulary, and only in a few cases on grammar or pronunciation. The students also needed the teacher as a mentor. As well, the students had an enjoyable time when practising, which was most often related to carrying out the oral tasks. The thematic vocabulary used by the students corresponded well to the thematic lexis that served as a basis for the practice. At its most efficient, this lexis was most evident when the basic education students were carrying out schema-based tasks. The students' questionnaire answers agreed with the research findings gained through systematic observation and the analysis of audio recordings. The communicative tasks planned by the teacher and implemented by the students were very much in line. The language-didactic theory as presented in this study and the research findings can be widely utilised in pre-service and in-service teacher education, as well as, more generally, when developing communicative language teaching. Key words: communicative oral practice; the Swedish language; foreign language; didactic teaching-studying-learning process; communicative language teaching; collaborative task; schema-based task; elaboration task.

Interaction in the Multicultural Classroom : Towards Culturally Sensitive Home Economics Education

Continuous growth in the number of immigrant students has changed the Finnish school environment. The resulting multicultural school environment is new for both teachers and students. In order to develop multicultural learning environments, there is a need to understand immigrant students everyday lives in school. In this study, home economics is seen as a fruitful school subject area for understanding these immigrant students lives as they cope with school and home cultures that may be very different from each other. Home economics includes a great deal of knowledge and skills that immigrant students need during their everyday activities outside of school. -- The main aim of the study is to clarify the characteristics of multicultural home economics classroom practices and the multicultural contacts and interaction that take place between the students and the teacher. The study includes four parts. The first part, an ethnographical prestudy, aims to understand the challenges of multicultural schoolwork with the aid of ethnographical fieldwork done in one multicultural school. The second part outlines the theoretical frames of the study and focuses on the sociocultural approach. The third part of the study presents an analysis of videodata collected in a multicultural home economics classroom. The teacher s and students interaction in the home economics classroom is analyzed through the concepts of the sociocultural approach and the cultural-historical activity theory. Firstly, this is done by analyzing the focusedness of the teacher s and the students actions as well as the questions presented and apparent disturbances during classroom interaction. Secondly, the immigrant students everyday experiences and cultural background are examined as they appear during discussions in the home economics lessons. Thirdly, the teacher s tool-use and actions as a human mediator are clarified during interaction in the classroom. The fourth part presents the results, according to which a practice-based approach in the multicultural classroom situation is a prerequisite for the teacher s and the students shared object during classroom interaction. Also, the practice-based approach facilitates students understanding during teaching and learning situations. Practice in this study is understood as collaborative teaching and learning situations that include 1) guided activating learning, 2) establishing connections with students everyday lives and 3) multiple tool-use. Guided activating learning in the classroom is defined as situations that occur and assignments that are done with a knowledgeable adult or peer and include action. The teacher s demonstrations during the practical part of the lessons seemed to be fruitful in the teaching and learning situations in the multicultural classroom. Establishing connections with students everyday lives motivated students to follow the lesson and supported understanding of meaning. Furthermore, if multiple tools (both psychological and material) were used, the students managed better with new and sometimes difficult concepts and different working habits, and accomplished the practical work more smoothly . The teacher s tool-use and role as a mediator of meaning are also highlighted in the data analysis. Hopefully, this study can provide a seedbed for situations in which knowledge produced together, as well as horizontally oriented tool-use, can make school-learned knowledge more relevant to immigrant students everyday lives, and help students to better cope with both classroom work and outside activities. KEY WORDS: home economics education, multicultural education, sociocultural perspective, classroom interaction, videoanalysis

Kestävä kehitys globaalin ajan hyvinvointiyhteiskunnan haasteena

The objective of the dissertation was to determine the concept of sustainable development according to current understanding and to analyze the structuration of sustainable daily life and how it varies between different groups. The present dissertation is both a literature-based theoretical study and data-based empirical research. The theoretical framework of the study was a greated model of the Structuration of Sustainability in Everyday Life. The model is based on a synthesis of Giddens Theory of Structuration (1984), Spaargaren JA van Vliet's Theory of Consumption as Social Practices (2000) and principles of sustainable development. According to the model created, sustainable everyday life is generated in a context of internal and external factors compromising the interests of ecosystems, society and business. The literature used in the thesis included international and national statements on sustainable development and research into sustainability and the transition to sustainable societies. The data were collected at Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. The discretionary sample consisted of students of social services (n = 210) and were collected using the semantic differential technique. The data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The results showed that the value placed on ecological, economic and social sustainability increased with age. Activity in non governmental organizations was associated with the acceptance of sustainable development as a whole and especially with global responsibility. Women's everyday life promoted sustainability more than men´s. People living in Helsinki had more sustainable ways of living than those living in the surrounding municipalities because of greater recycling and the low importance given to ownership. Prefering vegetarian food turned out to be a real opportunity for a more sustainable way of living because there were few barriers identified. Contradictory human behavior occurred when advanced sustainable consumer were ready to risk their health. The importance of communality was high and it was considered an aspect of health. The most significant obstacles to sustainable development in daily life were high costs, lack of knowledge and busyness. Similar attitudes towards sustainable development translate into different people´s behavior, which indicates complexities of the behaviour change in the context of sustainable development. The role of non governmental organizations is significant in increasing global responsibility. Education presents an opportunity to increase sustainability, but there are challenges to face from system thinking and in understanding entities in a state of transition towards sustainable everyday life. The responsibility of policy makers is paramount because high costs create a barrier to a sustainable way of living. The implementation of the concept of sustainable development should be focused on the planetary ethics which cover humans, animals, plants and ecosystems. Keywords: Sustainable development, sustainable thinking, behaviour change  

Ravintoa keholle, ruokaa mielelle : vertailututkimus pohjoismaisten nuorten ruokatottumuksista kotona ja koulussa

Aims. The main meals that youngsters have during the day are eaten at home and at school. In the Nordic countries breakfast and supper are often eaten with other members of the family. The way that Nordic countries arrange the school lunch and the frequency of family meals differ between countries. However, the challenges related to eating habits of the young are surprisingly similar. The aim of this study is to discuss how the Nordic countries could support youngsters’ healthy eating habits. This study was carried out as a part of a Nordic research project and it completed the work done by Kauppinen (2009) and Niemi (2009) in their Master’s Theses. The research questions are: 1. How do the youngsters evaluate their own eating habits and those of their family? 2. How do the youngsters evaluate the influence of home, family and school on their own eating habits? 3. What kind of relationship exists between eating at home and at school according to the data? Data and methods. A quantitative internet-based survey was used to collect data (N=1539) on the 9th graders conceptions and understandings. The survey consisted of respondents from Finland (N=586), Sweden (N=427), Denmark (N=295) and Norway (N=246). In this study the whole data to the appropriate extent was analyzed. The analysis was done with the SPSS-software and included examination of means, standard deviations, cross-tabulations, Pearson´s correlations, Chi-squared -tests, t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results were compaired between the countries and between sexes. Results and discussion. The studied youngsters evaluated their own eating habits positively. There were statistically signifigant differences (p< .05) between countries concerning the people who influence the youngsters’ healthy eating habits. Youngsters from Finland and Sweden considered making healthy choices at school easier than those from Denmark and Norway. Also eating a so called healthy lunch at school was more common in Finland and in Sweden. Eating breakfast and eating a healthy meal at school had a statistically significant interconnection (p< .001). The differences between sexes were not equal between the countries. The results supported those from previous studies, but also raised ideas for further study. Youngsters’ near environments should support their possibilities to make healthy choices and to participate to the decicion making process. Co-operation between the Nordic countries and between the home and the school is important. Listening to the youngsters’ own voice is a challence and a possibility for developing both home economics education and research in this area. Key words: Nordic countries, youngsters, healthy eating habits, eating at home, school meals

Käsityöläisyyden kuva kultasepän ammatissa : Käsityöläisyys Suomen Kultaseppien Liiton lehdessä 1990-luvun lopussa

The aim of this study is to survey the meaning of craftmanship in goldsmith occupation. The image of craftmanship is built theoretically as well as researcher's own practical experience. The study describes a dialogue between self-employed goldsmith s everyday work and trade union's opinion. Suomen Kultaseppien Liitto (The Goldsmith Assosiation of Finland) was chosen forthe trade union, because it is the biggest, the oldest and the most influential on the occupational area. The research data are volumes 1995 - 1998 of occupational membership journal of Suomen Kultaseppien Liitto. The data analyzed with Adapted Content Analysis and Grounded Theory. The professional occupation of goldsmiths, the role of craftmanship and the future of the occupation are discussed. Additionally, the relationship between the Suomen Kultaseppien Liitto and occupational culture and profession of goldsmiths was studied. Craft and craftmanship is most often discussed in articles related to tradition and education.Craftmanship is understood very idealistically, with little meaning in practical life. St. Eligius and the skill and art of goldsmiths in St Petersburg are raised to symbols of craftmanship. The occupational image is broken and a clear conflict between education and occupation is visible. Education produces artist-craftsmen, while handicraft workers are required in industry, and retailers or specially trained store assistant in business. Computer-aided design and manufacture render handicraft workmanship unnecessary. In a pessimistic view, the future possibilities of the goldsmith occupational profession are dim, because the artist-craftsmen are bound to lose to fast-paced machines. On the other hand, people involved in goldsmith education see the future light, designer-goldsmiths developing the occupational to new dimensions. Suomen Kultaseppien Liitto represents goldsmiths in public. The union, however is governed by non-artisan goldsmiths. The union stresses business attitudes and enterpreneurship, and has succeeded in protecting the privileges of retailers and industry. Goldsmiths profession is seen in the research data as a combination of precious-metal industry, jewellery and watch stores, anda goldsmith shop is considered a specialized giftstore. The goldsmiths occupation is not a profession, and the Suomen Kultaseppien Liitto is not a trade union for artist and craftmen. Accordingly, part of the representative authority of the union could be transferred from the Association to Taidekäsityöläiset Taiko ry, a member of organization of Ornamo. Results of this study show the importance of defining the images of the goldsmith occupational profession and the trade union. The results could be applied to goldsmith education to examine what would be the optimal education and training for present employment opportunities. The important background theories has been the theories of Habermas and Lévi-Strauss.