Creating learning paths, influencing, participating: A pilot study on teacher students’ experiences of agency in their first-year small group studies

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine teacher students’ agency. In this study agency was defined as the students’ possibilities and resources to influence their studies, pursue goals, make choices, and act autonomously and responsibly. The main aims were to find out what kind of agency teacher students experience in their studies and what kind of factors they perceive as supporting and constraining their agency. The pilot also aimed to ascertain suitable methodology for investigating student agency. The data were collected with teacher education students’ interviews (n = 2) and written self-reflections (n = 3). The analysis indicated that teacher students’ agency was manifested as …

Developmental dynamics between children’s externalizing problems, task-avoidant behavior, and academic performance in early school years: A 4-year follow-up.

This longitudinal study investigated the associations among children’s externalizing problems, task-avoidant behavior, and academic performance in early school years. The participants were 586 children (43% girls, 57% boys). Data pertaining to externalizing problems (teacher ratings) and task-avoidant behaviors (mother and teacher ratings) were gathered, and the children were tested yearly on their academic performance in Grades 1–4. The results were similar for both genders. The analyses supported a mediation model: high externalizing problems in Grades 1 and 2 were linked with low academic performance in Grades 3 and 4 through increases in task-avoidant behavior in Grades 2 and 3. The res…

Long-term stability in the Big Five personality traits in adulthood

This study investigated the stability of the Big Five personality traits in adulthood from age 33 to 42. Participants (89 men, 103 women) were drawn from the ongoing Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development. The results showed that the mean-level of Neuroticism decreased whereas the mean-level of Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness increased from age 33 to 42. The Structural Equation Modeling analyses revealed both gender differences and similarities in the rank-order stability of the Big Five: Neuroticism and Extraversion were more stable in men than in women, whereas Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousne…

A multidimensional adapted process model of teaching

AbstractIn the present study, we aimed to specify the key competence domains perceived to be critical for the teaching profession and depict them as a comprehensive teacher competence model. An expert panel that included representatives from seven units providing university-based initial teacher education in Finland carried out this process. To produce an active construction of a shared understanding and an interpretation of the discourse in the field, the experts reviewed literature on teaching. The resulting teacher competence model, the multidimensional adapted process model of teaching (MAP), represents a collective conception of the relevant empirical literature and prevailing discours…

Personality Types and Applicant Reactions in Real-life Selection

The study aimed to determine if an applicant's personality type is associated with his/her reactions (fairness perceptions, face validity perceptions, and predictive validity perceptions) to the selection process. The participants (N = 258) were real-life applicants for admission to a vocational school. A person-centered approach was applied to find subgroups with similar personality profiles. Latent profile analysis found four personality types: Resilient (45%), Overcontrolled (13%), Undercontrolled (10%), and Bohemian (32%). The Resilient and Bohemian personality types had more favorable perceptions of test fairness than the Overcontrolled type. Personality type did not affect face validi…

Socioemotional behavior and school achievement in relation to extracurricular activity participation in middle childhood

This 3-year longitudinal study investigated the associations of student (aged 9 to 10 years at the beginning of the study; n = 281; 51% girls) participation in extracurricular activities with teacher-rated socioemotional behavior and school achievement. MANOVA results showed that, after controlling for the grade level and the initial level of the outcome variables, participation in arts and crafts and music activities was related to higher adaptive behavior, academic attainments (i.e., reading, writing, arithmetic), and working skills (persistence, concentration, carefulness). Participation in performing arts was associated with higher academic working skills, and participation in academic …

Parental working time patterns and children's socioemotional wellbeing: Comparing working parents in Finland, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands

Abstract This cross-national study examined the connections between parental working time patterns (i.e., regular day work vs. nonstandard working hours) and children's socio-emotional wellbeing defined in terms of internalizing and externalizing problems and prosocial behavior. We also examined how the total number of hours worked, changes in work schedules, working overtime at short notice, and having an influence over one's work schedules were linked with children's wellbeing. Data were collected by a web survey from Finnish ( n  = 358), Dutch ( n  = 200) and British ( n  = 267) parents with children aged 3 to 12 years. The results showed, that in all three countries parents working nons…

Trail Making Test in assessing children with reading disabilities: a test of executive functions or content information.

The speed of performance on Part A, Part B, and on an experimental version containing alphabetical series (Part A Alphabetic) of the Trail Making Test was studied with 19 children with reading disabilities and 34 controls from Grades 4 to 6. When the test was used in discriminant profile fashion, children with reading disabilities showed a deficit compared with control children on Part B relative to Part A but did not relative to the new Part A Alphabetic. The results indicate that the performance of the children with reading disabilities on Part B is likely to be affected by their slowness on the alphabetical series. Based on these results we recommend that the speed of following the alph…

Relationships of young adults with foster care backgrounds: Tensions and management strategies

Osaamistavoitteet Iuokanopettajakoulutuksen opetussuunnitelmissa : näkökulmana Moniulotteinen opettajan osaamisen prosessimalli

Tässä tutkimuksessa analysoitiin kahden yliopiston luokanopettajakoulutuksen opetussuunnitelmatekstejä selvittäen, miten tekstien sisältämät tavoitteet ilmentävät opettajan työssä olennaisia osaamisalueita. Analyysi toteutettiin teoriaohiaavalla sisällönanalyysillä, joka nojasi kehittämäämme Moniulotteiseen opettajan osaamisen prosessimalliin (MAP). Tulokset osoittivat, että pääosa yleisistä ja opintojaksokohtaisista osaamistavoitteista liittyi opettamisen ja oppimisen tietoperustan rakentamiseen, erityisesti sisältötietoon ia pedagogiseen sisältötietoon. Myös kognitiiviset osaamisalueet korostuivat opetussuunnitelmateksteissä, ja ne painottuivat tutkimuksen tekoon liittyviin tiedonkäsittel…

Becoming agentic teachers : Experiences of the home group approach as a resource for supporting teacher students' agency

Abstract This study focuses on the experiences of first-year teacher students in a Finnish teacher education department regarding ways in which studying in stable “home groups” supported or restricted their agency. The findings of the interviews with 22 teacher students suggest that perception of home groups as emotionally safe and offering opportunities to break traditional authority relationship supported teacher students' agency, which was manifested in identity negotiations and active participation. Perception of inequality and tensions within home groups restricted students' agency. The findings underline the need for keen awareness of factors affecting teacher students' agency when ap…

Positive parenting and parenting stress among working mothers in Finland, the UK and the Netherlands : Do working time patterns matter?

This study explored the effects of working time patterns on positive parenting and parenting stress, and the moderating effects of working hours, the unpredictability of work schedules, and autonomy over working time in a European context. This cross-national survey study compared Finnish (n = 337), Dutch (n = 283) and British (n = 317) mothers with children under the age of 13, using structural equation modeling with a multigroup procedure. We found a connection between working time patterns and positive parenting but the nature of the connection differed between countries. In all three countries, no relationship was found between working time pattern and parenting stress, while unpredict…

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Children's help seeking: the role of parenting

Abstract Ninety-nine families with a school-age child participated in this study, aimed at analysing the relationship between parenting and children's help seeking. The parenting data included self-reports on parents' child-rearing principles and behavioural observations during parent–child interactions. To test help seeking, the children were placed in a problem-solving situation and had the opportunity to seek help from the experimenter. For girls, higher levels of parental nurturance were linked to longer thinking times preceding help seeking and to lessened capacity to reuse previously received help. For boys, higher levels of fathers' emotional warmth were related to higher rates of ir…

The moderating effect of extraversion on the relation between self-reported and observed parenting

Abstract The present study examined multiple measures of parenting (i.e., nurturance reported by parents themselves, child-centered behavior rated by trained observers, and child-reported parenting and family atmosphere) and their association with parents' personality trait of extraversion ( E ). The study was part of the Jyvaskyla Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development and it concerned 106 families with school-aged children (8–13 years of age). Data on parenting were collected from parents (54 mothers and 52 fathers) and children (48 girls and 58 boys) through questionnaires; in addition, behavioral observations were conducted to measure parent–child interaction. The resu…

Personality traits and parenting: neuroticism, extraversion, and openness to experience as discriminative factors

This study used variable‐ and person‐oriented approaches to examine the relationship between personality traits (at age 33) and parenting (at age 36) among 94 mothers and 78 fathers. The SEM revealed that Openness to Experience (O), low Neuroticism (N), and Extraversion (E) were related to parental nurturance; low O to parental restrictiveness; and low N to parental knowledge about the child's activities. Cluster analysis based on the three parenting factors yielded six gender‐related parenting types with distinguishable personality profiles. Authoritative parents (mostly mothers) and emotionally involved parents (mostly fathers), who were high in nurturance and high to moderate in parenta…

Personality profiles and health: Longitudinal evidence among Finnish adults

Kinnunen, M.-L., Metsapelto, R. L., Feldt, T., Kokko, K., Tolvanen, A., Kinnunen, U., Leppanen, E. & Pulkkinen, L. (2012). Personality profiles and health: Longitudinal evidence among Finnish adults. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 53, 512–522. This study investigates the associations of longitudinal Big Five personality profiles with long-term health in 304 adults (53% males). Personality traits (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness) were assessed at ages 33, 42, and 50. Subjective (self-rated health, symptoms, psychological distress) and objective (body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides) indicators of health were…

Conceptual Framework of Teaching Quality: A Multidimensional Adapted Process Model of Teaching

A universal challenge in the field of teacher education is generating a shared vision of the key knowledge and skills needed for the teaching profession. Prior research has pinpointed a range of critical qualities necessary for teaching and other facets of a teacher’s work. However, a research-based conceptual model relevant to understanding the key competencies of the teaching profession has not yet been presented. To address this need, this paper presents a multidimensional process model of key knowledge and skills for teaching. It is adapted from the competence model of Blömeke et al. (2015), and it specifies the core professional practices, situation-specific skills, and cognitive and n…

Task-Focused Behavior Mediates the Associations Between Supportive Interpersonal Environments and Students’ Academic Performance

In the longitudinal study presented here, we tested the theoretical assumption that children’s task-focused behavior in learning situations mediates the associations between supportive interpersonal environments and academic performance. The sample consisted of 2,137 Finnish-speaking children. Data on supportive interpersonal environments (characterized by authoritative parenting, positive teacher affect toward the child, and peer acceptance) were gathered in Grade 1. The children’s task-focused behavior was measured in Grades 2 and 3, and academic performance was measured in Grades 1 and 4. The results supported our assumption by showing that all three supportive environments were positiv…

Measuring higher-order cognitive skills with multiple choice questions:potentials and pitfalls of Finnish teacher education entrance

This mixed methods study examines the structure of the multiple-choice exam for student selection in Finnish teacher education. Through qualitative content analysis, we categorized multiple-choice ques-tions into items that assessed lower-and higher-order cognitive processes based on the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded four factors that represented lower-and higher-order cognitive processing skills and comprehension of empirical and theoretical items. These were associated with matriculation examination grades, especially with the average grade and the mother tongue grade. When developing future multiple-choice exams for admissions, we recommen…

Longitudinal study on reciprocity between personality traits and parenting stress

Reciprocal associations between the Big Five personality traits and parenting stress—including both parents’ feelings of their distress and perception of their incompetence as parents—were studied with 248 participants (49% of which were males). Longitudinal data, collected at ages 33/36, 42 and 50 years, were used. Cross-lagged path analysis revealed that in case of both mothers and fathers, neuroticism at age 33 predicted high parenting stress, and extraversion at age 33 predicted low parenting stress at age 42. Also, parenting stress at age 36 predicted high neuroticism and low extraversion at age 42. From age 42 to 50, only high parenting stress contributed to low neuroticism. Thus, mo…

Ylioppilastutkinnon, tavoiteorientaatioiden ja muiden motivaatiotekijöiden yhteys luokanopettajakoulutukseen hakeneiden menestymiseen VAKAVA-valintakokeessa

Tässä tutkimuksessa selvitettiin ylioppilastutkinnon yleisarvosanan, tavoiteorientaatioiden ja muiden motivaatiotekijöiden yhteyttä menestymiseen valtakunnallisessa kasvatusalan valintayhteistyöverkoston toteuttamassa opiskelijavalintakokeessa (VAKAVA). Tutkimukseen osallistuivat Jyväskylän yliopiston luokanopettajakoulutukseen pyrkineet hakijat vuosina 2014 ja 2015 (n = 399). Tutkimusaineisto koostui VAKAVAkoepistemääristä sekä hakijoiden itsearvioinneista, jotka liittyivät erilaisiin tavoiteorientaatioihin (oppimis-, saavutus-, suoritus-lähestymis-, suoritus-välttämis- ja välttämisorientaatio) sekä muihin motivaatiotekijöihin (kokemus opiskelun mielekkyydestä, luovutusherkkyys ja epäonnis…

National context and teacher characteristics : Exploring the critical non-cognitive attributes of novice teachers in four countries

The purpose of this article was to examine what education professionals in four countries (England, Finland, Malawi, and Oman) deemed as the critical (i.e., most important for effective teaching) non-cognitive attributes of novice teachers. Results from an iterative comparative case study showed that participants consistently judged certain attributes of novice teachers as critical, i.e., empathy, organization, and resilience. However, there was also differential importance placed on teachers’ relationships with the community, reflecting theorized cultural differences. The findings provide new insight into how national and cultural context are associated with the perceptions of the critical…

Korona opettajan osaamisen haastajana

Tarkastelemme suomalaisen opettajan osaamista suhteessa korona-ajan tuomiin uusiin opettajuuden haasteisiin. Opettajan työ on monipuolista osaamista edellyttävää asiantuntijatyötä. Opettajan keskeinen osaaminen on koottu seitsemän yliopiston yhteistyönä tutkimusperustaiseen Opettajan osaamisen karttaan. Siinä opettajan ammatillinen kehittyminen nähdään jatkumona opiskelijavalintavaiheesta koulutuksen kautta työelämään. Keväällä 2020 koronapandemia muutti opettajan työtä radikaalisti. Siirtyminen etäopetukseen ja oppijoiden tukeminen kriisissä ovat asettaneet opettajien osaamiselle uudenlaisia haasteita. Koronatilanteen eri vaiheissa ovat korostuneet erityisesti kolme näkökulmaa Opettajan os…

Multiple mini-interviews as a selection tool for initial teacher education admissions

This study investigates the reliability of multiple mini interviews (MMIs) to select students for classroom and special education teacher programs (n = 418) using intraclass correlations and cross-classified multilevel modeling. The results indicated mostly small effects of clustering of applicants to different interviewers and five-station circuits. The largest variance components in the MMI total score were for applicants (63.3%) and measurement error (20.6%), while the variance component for the interviewer was relatively small (11.6–14.4%). The applicants' and interviewers' perceptions were positive. This study provides evidence for the use of MMIs as a reliable tool for initial teacher…

Coping strategies in life stories of young adults with foster care backgrounds

Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin sijoitettuna olleiden nuorten aikuisten selviytymiskeinoja 18 yksilöhaastattelun avulla. Fenomenologisella analyysilla (IPA; Smith & Osborn, 2003. Interpretative phenomenological analysis. Teoksessa J. A. Smith (toim.), Qualitative Psychology (s. 51–80). Sage) tunnistettiin kolme pääteemaa liittyen selviytymiskeinoihin vastoinkäymisissä ja haasteissa: sisäänpäin suuntautuminen, ulospäin suuntautuminen sekä omiin elinolosuhteisiin vaikuttaminen. Lisäksi tunnistettiin keino, joka oli käytössä vain varhaisaikuisuudessa, hyväksyminen. Tulosten perusteella on tärkeää kuulla sijoitettuna olleita nuoria aikuisia koskien heidän selviytymiskeinojaan sekä lisätä sijaisperh…

Cross-lagged associations between problem behaviors and teacher-student relationships in early adolescence

This study investigated the cross-lagged associations between teacher-student relationships and problem behaviors in a sample of 440 Finnish students (half of them identified as being at risk of reading difficulties). The degree to which these associations were moderated by a child’s gender, academic performance, risk for reading difficulties, parental education, and having the same teacher over 2 years was examined. The teachers evaluated the students’ problem behaviors and reported closeness and conflict with a particular student. The results showed that the higher the students scored on externalizing problems in Grade 4, the more conflict teachers reported 2 years later. Moderator analy…

Promotion of school engagement through dialogic teaching practices in the context of a teacher professional development programme

This study was conducted in the context of a teacher professional development programme that aimed to improve dialogic teaching in the classroom, and it describes the programme and examines the change in teachers' dialogic teaching practices and pupils' classroom engagement during the programme. Data on pupils' school engagement were collected using classroom video recordings and students' self-ratings at the end of the lesson including dialogic teaching practices. The participants comprised seven in-service teachers and their 140 pupils (10- to 15-year-olds) from two comprehensive schools. The findings indicated positive change in the use of dialogic teaching practices and in observed pupi…

School grades as predictors of self-esteem and changes in internalizing problems: A longitudinal study from fourth through seventh grade

This longitudinal study of 562 students (from ages 10 to 13) investigated whether developmental changes in internalizing problems (emotional and peer problems) can be predicted by school grades in mathematics and language arts and whether these predictive relations are mediated by students' self-esteem. The data comprised of teacher-rated internalizing problems, grades in math and language arts, and student self-ratings of self-esteem. The latent change score modeling indicated that math grades positively predicted self-esteem. Furthermore, lower self-esteem was related to an increase in internalizing and emotional problems in the total sample, and to an increase in peer problems in boys. T…

Individual differences in parenting : the five-factor model of personality as an explanatory framework

Riitta-Leena Metsäpellon väitöstutkimus osoittaa, että lastenkasvatusta voidaan tutkia erilaisilla menetelmillä, mutta menetelmät eivät anna yhtenäistä kuvaa vanhemmista kasvattajina. Ulospäinsuuntautunut ja avoin äiti voi koetilanteessa näyttää havainnoitsijan mielestä lapsilähtöiseltä ja hän voi itsekin arvioida kasvatuksensa sellaiseksi, johon sisältyy kiintymystä, kuuntelemista ja lapsen huomioon ottamista. Lapsi voi kuitenkin arvioida hoivaavammaksi sellaisen äidin, joka ei ole yhtä ulospäin suuntautunut ja jolla riittää ehkä enemmän huomiota lapselle. Vanhemman vähäinen ulospäinsuuntautuneisuus voi siten lapsen näkökulmasta merkitä myönteisiä kasvatuskokemuksia ja suotuisaa perheilmap…

Terapeuttinen muutos sosiaalisen jännittäjän persoonallisessa merkitysorganisaatiossa

Externalizing behavior problems and interest in reading as predictors of later reading skills and educational aspirations

This study examined the developments in children’s externalizing problems and interest in reading during their first four years of school (Grades 1–4) and investigated whether this development predicted the children’s Grade 6 reading skills and educational aspirations. Data comprised (1) teachers’ ratings of externalizing problems and children’s (N = 642; 43% girls) self-ratings of their interest in reading, collected between Grades 1 and 4, and (2) measures of reading fluency and comprehension, and children’s self-reports of educational aspirations, collected at Grade 6. First, latent growth modeling showed that a higher level of externalizing problems in Grade 1 was associated with a lowe…

Maternal Affection Moderates the Associations Between Parenting Stress and Early Adolescents’ Externalizing and Internalizing Behavior

The present study investigated the role of parenting stress in early adolescents’ externalizing and internalizing behavior and, particularly, the moderating effect of maternal affection on these associations. The data of 992 early adolescents ([Formula: see text]; 454 girls) and their mothers during the transition from primary school to lower secondary school were analyzed. The results showed that when maternal affection was low, parenting stress was not related to the changes in early adolescents’ externalizing or internalizing behavior. In contrast, when maternal affection was high, low parenting stress related to a decrease and high parenting stress to an increase in such behavior. The …

Opettajien kokemuksia dialogisen opetuksen toteuttamisesta perusopetuksessa

Tässä artikkelissa tarkastellaan opettajien kokemuksia dialogisen opetuksen toteuttamisesta perusopetuksen ryhmissä osana Vuorovaikutus, motivaatio ja osallisuuden tukeminen (VuoMo) - nimistä ammatillisen kehittämisen ohjelmaa. Dialogisen opetuksen tavoitteena on vahvistaa oppilaiden osallisuutta lisäämällä näkökulmien jakamista sisältävää vuorovaikutusta ja keskustelua ja siten tukea oppilaiden oppimismotivaatiota. Tutkimuksen aineisto koostui kuuden kehittämisohjelmaan osallistuneen opettajan haastatteluaineistosta, joka analysoitiin temaattisella analyysilla. Opettajat kokivat, että heidän dialogisuuteen liittyvä pedagoginen ajattelunsa muuttui ohjelman aikana. Erityisesti dialogisia ope…