Browsing by Subject "leikki"

Objectives. The aim of this study was to describe, in a single and consecutive way, self-repairs of bilingual children in a play situation and to investigate their possible differences between groups. The aim was to increase information on how and what kind of corrections children at different levels of language do, and how the level of language management affects the quality of self-corrections in Finnish. The research questions were what kind of corrections children make, how they start self-repairing and where the repairs are directed. It was also examined whether the groups differed and, if so, how. Methods. A total of 30 were supported, of whom 15 were monolingual and 15 consecutive bilingual children. The L2 language of all children was Finnish and the linguistic development of all the researchers was typical. The study methods were observation and analysis of literates. The data was analyzed both qualitatively and statistically. Elan annotation programme and SPSS statistics programme were used to analyze the data. Results and reflection. Monolingual children produced more self-repairs than bilingual children. Compared to the total number, the share of self-corrections for bilingual children was slightly higher than that of monolingual children. Both monolingual and bilingual children did the most self-repairs by searching for the next word. In the group of monolingual children, the biggest remedy was speech interruptions, while for bilinguals the largest group were different sounds. Self-repairs by both groups most often targeted the sledge hams. The results are partly in line with previous research data. However, previous studies have found that novice bilingual children prefer repetition in their self-repairs. In this study, on the other hand, monolingual children took more initiatives by repeating bilingual control.

The aim of the study was looking into the free playtime of children with special needs in a daycare setting. Children were filmed during a free playtime in a one integrated daycare group. Videos were analyzed by transana by using a BOR-form that observes the interactions between children. There were five main themes that cape up: the meaningfulness of actions, ways of communicating, role of the adult, role of the child with special needs in the group and the effect of the playmates. The play and actions of children with special needs seemed to be meaningful most of the times. There were group play as well as playing alone. The children with special need were divided in to two groups: children who spoke and those who didn't. It was easier for speakers to get in to a group play and maintain the play with others. The play was more complex when played with a friend or a child without special needs. Adults reinforced the actions and worked as an interpreter of children with special needs. It was hard for the children who needed constant help from the adult, to have an influential part in a play. The children with special need were more of the followers than the influencers in a play. Over all the actions and behavior of the children without the special needs seemed to have important influence to the actions and behavior of the children with special needs. The role of the adult were to inforce the communication between the children.

Tutkimuskysymykseni on, miten draamamateriaaleja hyödyntävillä perusopetuksen katsomusaineiden oppitunneilla ilmenee ja tuetaan luovuutta sekä leikillisyyttä sekä miten oppitunneille osallistuvat kokevat oppitunnit. Tunneille osallistuvilla tarkoitan oppilaita ja opettajia. Tutkielmani ja sen aineistonkeruu on toteutettu osana Uskallus – Uskonnot, katsomukset ja osallisuus perusopetuksessa -hanketta. Tutkielmassa käytetyt draamamateriaalit on julkaistu hankkeen sivuilla sähköisesti. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu oppilaiden haastatteluista, opettajan ja oppilaiden palautekyselylomakkeista, havainnoitsijoiden tekemistä luokkahuonemuistiinpanoista sekä kirjallisessa muodossa olevista draamamateriaaleista. Aineisto on kerätty vuoden 2019 lopussa Etelä-Suomessa. Havainnoitavia oppitunteja aineistossa on kaksi, joista toinen on viides- ja kuudesluokkalaisten elämänkatsomustiedon oppitunti ja toinen kahdeksasluokkalaisten evankelisluterilaisen uskonnon oppitunti. Aineistonanalyysi on toteutettu teoriaohjaavana sisällönanalyysinä. Tutkimustuloksissa havaitsin, että luovuutta ja leikillisyyttä ilmenee katsomusaineiden draamaa hyödyntävillä oppitunneilla. Luovuus esiintyy oppitunneilla erilaisina Luovina ajatuksina ja Luovina tuotoksina sekä näiden kahden luokan alakategorioina. Leikillisyyden osalta tutkimustulokset jakautuvat alakategorioihin Lapsellisuus, Leikkisyys ja leikinomaisuus, Leikillinen tunnelma sekä Rooli sekä edellisten alaluokkiin. Tutkimustulosten kolmas pääluokka Kokemus draamatunnista esittää näkökulmat Vaikeustaso-, Tyypillisestä poikkeava oppitunti - ja Draamaharjoitus ja luovuus -kategorioiden kautta. Oppilaiden ja opettajien kokemukset oppitunneista tuovat esille, että draamaoppitunnit koetaan tyypillisestä poikkeavaksi ja harjoitukset osallistavat myös sellaisia oppilaita, jotka eivät usein luokkien tyypillisillä tunneilla osallistu. Luovuutta ja leikillisyyttä ilmenee tutkimusaineiston oppitunneilla ja niitä tukevat muun muassa kannustava, myönteinen palaute ja ilmapiiri. Tutkimusaineistossa on kuitenkin nähtävissä myös mahdollisuuksia tukea niiden ilmentymistä enemmänkin. Haasteina tästä näkökulmasta katsottuna vaikuttavat olevan ennen kaikkea oppitunnin ajallinen pituus sekä opettajan halu kontrolloida harjoitusten kulkua. Oppilaat kokevat myös oppitunneilla hämmennyksen tunteita. Ne oppilaat, jotka pääsevät erilaisten oivallusten kautta tunteesta yli, vaikuttavat saavan myönteisiä oppimiskokemuksia ja liittävän luovuuden kokemuksen oppituntiin. Draama vaikuttaa tutkimukseni perusteella sopivan hyvin katsomusaineiden opetusmenetelmäksi, ja sen kautta mahdollistuvat luovempi ja leikillisempi opettaminen sekä oppiminen. Tunnit koetaan aineistossa pääosin myönteisiksi, tiedonhalua ja innostusta lisääviksi. Tutkimustuloksissa näkyy, että luovuutta ja leikillisyyttä tukeva draamaoppitunti opettaa oppilaille asiasisällön lisäksi laajempaa sekä tulevaisuuteen suuntaavampaa osaamista.

The different fields of study are strongly differentiated according to gender in Finland (Tilastokeskus 2015). Women are still a minority in the technology working life and education (Niiranen 2016). International studies show that also children’s play is differentiated according to gender (Riley & Jones 2007). The aim of this thesis is to study childhood play, skills learned during play and what impact play has for the career choice. All in all twenty people participated in the study. Sixteen of these were studying to become Masters of Science in Technology and four were already graduated. Ten women and ten men participated in the study. The data were acquired by single person semi-structured interviews. It was voluntary to bring childhood photos or toys to the interviews. The data were analyzed by inductive content analysis. According to the results of the study there were both similarities and differences in the type of play for men and women. The biggest similarities were rule play, construction play and computer games. The biggest differences were the women’s nursing play and the men’s war play. The interviewees felt that they had learned social skills, mathematical skills, creative skills and motor skills through play. There were different opinions whether childhood play had affected their career choices. Some interviewees thought that childhood plays possibly had some impact on the career choice, but not all of the interviewees shared this opinion. Especially some women thought it was important that they could play different plays regardless of gender which made it possible to imagine different career choices regardless of gender.

The purpose of this study was to gain more insight into how play becomes a part of life in families with children. The aim is to find out different meanings of play for families in their daily lives and to view at the production of play activities especially from the perspective of children’s agency. Children’s involvement in the production of everyday life has not been studied comprehensively in the field of Home Economics Science. However today’s understanding of children both as active actors in their families and as producers of valid information made the topic relevant and important. The aim of this study was to build a holistic understanding of the phenomenon. Play was considered as a meaningful function for families with children and as the most natural way for children to act. This qualitative study gathered data from four families with children. All the families lived in Helsinki metropolitan area and had each at least one child aged between five to seven years old. The data consisted of stimulated recall interviews with the families and was deepened by the families’ self collected material of their play memories. The families were allowed to actively determine their participation in the study and to choose their own ways of collecting the data. The data were mainly produced in the form of photographs and diary entries. The interviews were conducted in a child-centered way to ensure reaching their perspectives. Participant observation was also used while conducting the interviews. The data were analysed using both qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis methods. Also features of narrative analysis were applied in the analysis process. This study found play to be a central part of everyday life of families with children. Children bring play also in the families’ non-playful activities. Play routines are important for the daily life of families for the flow they bring as well as for the families’ enjoyment and well being. Play and everyday life form a positive circle where they nourish each other. The experiences of community and participation through play proved to be the most important factors in the everyday life of families. Play and players themselves produce family as they play. Play can bring family members together and create family the valuable experience of us. Play can also be seen supporting the child’s agency in family life by providing children tools for participating and making an influence in joint activities.

The aim of this study is power strategies that children use in play situations. In my work as a kindergarten teacher, I noticed that children use power over each other during their interaction with peers. Previous studies have focused on interaction between children, marginalization, bullying and power between adults and children. These studies have showed that negative use of power in interaction between children can lead to bullying, marginalization and can promote inequality. Theoretical frame of reference is based on Michel Foucault's theory of power. According to him, power is universal and can be represented through social interaction. This study is focused on power strategies. These strategies are totalities of means through which one can influence others attitudes, emotions and action. Critical discourse analysis was used as a method of analysis and the research data consist of video and audio material. The data was collected outside and inside play situations in day care centre. The study involved 10 children from one day care centre in metropolitan area in Finland. Children were two to three year olds and six of them were girls and four were boys. Children used leading, play negotiations and forbidden as power strategies in play. Through leading children shared and stayed in the same play idea, they were committed to play and the play was rich. In play negotiations children created common understanding on play and developed the play further. Through play negations the play enriched and got new features. Forbidding as a power strategy diminished children possibilities to influence on play and in the end the play was suffocated. Curriculum of Early Childhood education (2016, 29) says that early childhood educators have the means to indentify factors that limit play and develop factors that promoted play in early childhood education settings. My study offers information on children power strategies. With this information the staff can promote play in day care centers and supports children as they investigate and learn to practice power through play.

Objectives. The objective of this thesis was to examine the perceptions of first and second year teacher students studying early childhood education at the University of Helsinki on the meaning of the role of the adult in play within the context of early childhood education. The expectation of the thesis was to acquire insight into the gradually forming perception and understanding of the students on the role of the playing adult and how this process is influenced by their own personal play experiences, their approach towards the importance of play and their experiences in education and working life. Methods. The methodological approach was based on a phenomenographic method. Essentially a mixed method study in which quantitative and qualitative phases followed one another, these approaches were applied simultaneously during both the acquisition of the research material and the analysis. The research material was collected via an internet survey in which the participants were voluntary students interested in the topic. During the process of answering the research questions, two different sets of data acquired from questionnaires was utilized. The methods of analysis were both qualitative (content analysis based on the research material) and quantitative (cluster and factor analysis). Results and conclusions. Overall the thesis reveals that the students had a positive attitude towards play and the role of the adult within the context of play. While the participants provided little direct criticism towards play or the role of the adult, they acknowledged the challenges when attempting to find a balance between active and passive participation in play. The results concerning the possibilities and challenges in the role of the adult during play also reflect phenomena common in the field. The study shows that when reflecting on their own play experiences that often stemmed from childhood, the participants found meaningful connections to the meaning of play and the role of the playing adult. Teacher education within the context of early childhood education has an integral role in reinforcing the perception of future teachers as regard the significance of play in the development and well-being of children and in supporting the development of the role of the playing adult.

In this study, I aim to investigate the significance of the curriculum as a guiding document for the work of early childhood education teachers, how teachers define their autonomy in relation to the implementation of the experimental curriculum, and how play, defined as a central form of activity in preschool education, is perceived by teachers participating in the experiment. The curriculum obliges the work of early childhood education teachers and serves as a directive basis for the formulation of local curricula (OPH, 2014, p. 1). In August 2021, the Ministry of Education and Culture initiated an experiment on two-year preschool education as part of the Right to Learn (Oikeus oppia) development program. The Finnish National Agency for Education created new curriculum guidelines for the participating preschool units, in which the significance of play in a child's growth, development, well-being, and learning is acknowledged more prominently (OPH, 2021, p. 13). Despite the emphasis on play and its importance in guiding docu-ments, as well as its appreciation by early childhood education professionals, research suggests that it has not yet established the practices that would enable its central role in preschool education. One explanation may lie in the conflicting relationship between policy and autonomy framed by the work of early childhood education teachers: while the constantly evolving and broad curriculum guides the work of teachers obligatorily, it also leaves all concrete activities related to implementation, development, and evalua-tion entirely up to the teachers' interpretation (Wood & Hedges, 2016, pp. 400–401). The study was conducted as a qualitative research employing thematic interviews as the data collection method. Ten early childhood education teachers who participated in the two-year preschool education experiment from five different locations took part in the interviews. The data were analyzed using content analysis, searching for similarities, resemblances, and examining differences within the material. Based on the research findings, it appears that the teachers' relationship with the experimental curriculum was distant. Half of the interviewees found the experimental curriculum too extensive and lacking in concreteness. Only one out of ten teachers actively used the experimental curriculum as support for their work and as a basis for planning. Eight teachers reported that the experimental curriculum was not present in their daily routines or guiding the activities of the two-year preschool education. Teachers perceived their autonomy regarding the adoption of the experimental curriculum as unreasonably limited: They felt left without support or orientation regarding the experiment and were not given time for planning. The extensive responsibility caused feelings of burden and even failure for several teachers. In interviews, talk about play was conspicuously by its absent. Only one out of ten teachers spontaneously mentioned play, stating that its role had increased within the group due to the experiment. The interviewed teachers described play as important for the child but as something happening outside of other preschool activities. The role of adults in play remained distant in nine out of ten interviews, and in eight out of ten cases, adults strongly controlled the play.

Objectives. Based on the theory behind drama education, the learning potential of drama resides in working in fictional environments. The natural tendency of children to play and imagine is at the center of drama education, so the defining of play and fiction in relation to working in fictional environments were crucial. The aim of the study is to develop and test the Fictional Work Meter, which can be used to examine the different aspects of working in fiction on drama lessons; fictitious realities and fictional roles, planning fiction, ways of creating fictional environments, the clarity between fiction and reality, and the pupils' commitment to working in fiction. The study also examines the level of fictional work on eight 1-3 grade drama lessons using the Fictional Work Meter. Methods. This study is a qualitative case study using the numerical analysis of the Fictional Work Meter that is based on the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) classroom observation tool. The eight filmed drama lessons used in the research were analyzed both verbally and in numerical values in the different categories of fictional work. The reliability of the research results was enhanced by making the analysis in co-operation with another analysist. Results and conclusions. The Fictional Work Meter developed for this study was well suited for analyzing the various aspects of working in fiction on drama lessons in the research material. All the analyzed drama lessons contained either moderate (4-5) or high (6-7) levels of working in fiction. Based on the high values, it could be assumed that teachers specialized in drama teaching were able to use fictional work on their drama lessons. The positive attitude and high intensity of the students towards working in fictitious reality supported the assumption. A result of this study was also the creation of a design template to raise the level of working in fiction on drama lessons.

Sijaishuollon sosiaalityössä lapsen kertoma tieto on tärkeää. Lapsen tieto on hänen omaa kokemustietoansa, joka perustuu hänen arkeensa ja elämäänsä sijaishuoltopaikassa. Leikki-ikäiset lapset ilmentävät luontaisesti leikin avulla omaa kokemustaan elämästään. Sijaishuollon sosiaalityöntekijä tapaa lasta kahden kesken ja leikki-ikäisen lapsen kohdalla se tapahtuu usein leikkien. Yhteisestä leikkitilanteesta ja leikin kautta saata-vasta tiedosta ei kuitenkaan keskustella sijaishuollossa sosiaalityöntekijöiden kesken. Tässä tutkielmassa tarkastellaan, millaiseksi tiedonvaihtoalue muodostuu leikin kautta sijaishuollon sosiaa-lityöntekijöiden näkökulmasta. Tutkielmassa on käytetty jäsennyksenä Urie Bronfenbrennerin ekologista systeemiteoriaa, jossa rooleilla, ympäristöllä ja vuorovaikutuksella on merkitystä lapsen kehityksen kannalta. Sijaishuollon sosiaalityössä on oleellista, että sosiaalityöntekijä kohtaa lapsen siinä kasvuympäristössä, johon hänet on sijoitettu eli lapsen senhetkisessä mikrosysteemissä. Tapaamisten tulee muodostua vuorovaikutteisiksi, jotta lapsen ajatukset, mielipiteet ja toiveet saadaan esille. Tutkielma on laadullinen tutkimus, jonka toinen aineisto kerättiin haastattelemalla seitsemää sijaishuollon sosiaalityöntekijää puolistrukturoidun teemahaastattelun menetelmällä. Toinen aineisto on syksyllä 2019 tehdystä käytäntötutkimuksen fokusryhmäkeskustelusta, johon osallistui kuusi sijaishuollon sosiaalityöntekijää. Aineiston sisällönanalyysi toteutettiin aineistolähtöisesti. Sisällönanalyysin perusteella, jotka vastasivat tutkimuskysymykseen, esille nousee kolme yläluokkaa: sosi-aalityöntekijän rooli, leikkitilanteen merkitys lapselle ja millaisena leikkitilanne toimii. Leikki tiedonvaihtoalueena mahdollistaa tavoitteellisen tapaamisen lapsen kanssa. Leikin avulla sosiaalityöntekijä pystyy luomaan turvallisen ja luottamuksellisen ilmapiirin, jossa lapsen ääni tulee kuulluksi. Leikin avulla lapsi tulee kohdatuksi, siinä mahdollistuu lapsen yksilöllinen osallisuus ja lapsesta tulee toimija lapsilähtöisesti. Leikkitilanteen kautta sosiaalityöntekijä saa tietoa lapsesta, sijaisperheestä ja syntymävanhemmista sekä jakaa heille tietoa. Tämän tutkimuksen keskeinen tulos on, että sosiaalityöntekijälle leikkitilanne toimii vuorovaikutteisena vaihtoalueena, jossa tapahtuu tiedonmuodostusta. Leikistä muodostuu lapsilähtöinen väline, joka mahdollis-taa tavoitteellisen yhteistoimijuuden ja yhteyden luomisen lapseen. Leikin kautta saadulla tiedolla on mer-kittävää vaikutusta lapsen edun ja hyvinvoinnin toteuttamiseksi. Sijaishuollon sosiaalityöntekijät leikkivät sijoitettujen lasten kanssa jakaakseen yhteistä todellisuutta yhteisen leikin avulla. Haasteena on, että leikki on hiljaista tietoa, josta ei keskustella millään foorumilla. Leikin hyödynnettävyyttä sijaishuollossa tulisi tutkia lisää, jotta sitä voisi hyödyntää tietoisemmin ja paremmin sijaishuollossa sijoitettujen lasten tapaami-silla.