Search results for "qualitative"

Rewards, changes and challenges in the role of primary headteachers/principals in England and Finland

2012

Drawing on an analysis of education policies and qualitative research data, the impact of education reform on the roles of English primary headteachers and their Finnish counterparts is examined and compared. Global forces have resulted in similar policy trends in both countries but owing to contrasting cultural values and education traditions there are marked differences in the mechanisms for change at both national and local levels. However, irrespective of globalisation and differing national contexts, there were considerable similarities in the perspectives of headteachers and principals on the rewards and constraints of their role and the realities of leadership and management.

Engineering students’ conceptions of entrepreneurial learning as part of their education

2015

The purpose of this study was to examine what kinds of conceptions of entrepreneurial learning engineering students expressed in an entrepreneurship course integrated in their study programme. The data were collected during an entrepreneurship course in Estonia that was organised for fourth-year engineering students, using video-recorded group interviews (N = 48) and individual in-depth interviews (N = 16). As a result of the phenomenographic analysis, four qualitatively distinctive conceptions of entrepreneurial learning were discerned. Entrepreneurial learning was seen to involve (1) applying entrepreneurial ideas to engineering, (2) understanding entrepreneurial issues in a new way, (3) …

2014

Biological evolution still lacks representation in school, especially below high school level. In order to find new implications that could help achieve significant improvement in teaching evolution, twelve expert interviews with both renowned researchers and experienced science teachers were conducted. Results of the comparison between the mindsets of scientists and teachers yield the five recommendations that could significantly improve the teaching practices of biological evolution: (1) Evolution should be taught as early as possible and should be exposed as the central concept of biology. (2) Despite the large theoretical framing of biological evolution, many occasions occur for hands-o…

Exploring socio-ecological factors influencing active and inactive Spanish students in years 12 and 13

2013

This paper explores socio-ecological factors and their interplay that emerge from a qualitative study and influence adolescents' physical activity and sport participation. A total of 13 boys and 7 girls active and inactive adolescents, from years 12 and 13 and different types of school (state and private), participated in semi-structured interviews. It followed a purposeful sampling selection from participants who participated in a previous larger study on physical activity levels. Findings highlight the influence of personal and social interplay, such as perceived competence, obesity and teasing from peers, and new social demands and personal preferences in adolescents' (dis)engagement in …

Sense of Belonging and Life Transitions for Two Females with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Finland

2015

AbstractSense of belonging refers to the degree to which individuals feel included, accepted, and supported by others in a variety of social settings. This study, based on the narratives of two females (ages 26 and 29) with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), examines sense of belonging and various life transition issues that may appear throughout childhood, adolescence, and adulthood in the absence of appropriate social supports. Hearing the voices of females with autism is important, because the number of girls diagnosed with ASD has grown. Women on the spectrum can potentially provide significant insights into the services required to feel a sense of belonging to society. Qualitative analysi…

Learning Environment in Light of Positional, Institutional, and Cultural Interpretations: An Empirically-Based Conceptual Analysis

2016

This study explores the possibility that the concept of learning environment (LE) is understood and interpreted differently by various users, depending on their relative positions in the educational system, institutional affiliation, and cultural heritage. The study employs a qualitative approach and is based on 14 semistructured separate interviews with professionals in the field of education. The participants in the study have been chosen from 3 different levels in the educational system (assistants, kindergarten and school teachers, and principals/county government representatives) and across different institutions (kindergartens and schools). The data reveal a clear pattern in which the…

Frame analysis of psychotherapists’ perspectives on the development of psychological disorders

2021

AbstractThe development of psychological disorders has been explained by several psychological theories and remains under debate. Psychotherapists, however, have insights into the emergence and development of psychological disorders that stem from both theory and practice. The constantly evolving field of psychotherapy prompts reconsideration, specifically when psychotherapists’ views on the development of disorders impacts their treatment approach. In addition, theoretical orientation and years of clinical experience, while known to influence psychotherapists’ viewpoints also merit further study. Applying Erving Goffman’s frame analysis, semi structured interviews with psychotherapists wer…

Participants’ home as an interview context when studying sensitive family issues

2013

This article considers the meaning of the participants’ home as an interview context when studying sensitive family issues. The article is based on two qualitative family studies by the authors on foster children’s perspectives on their home and their family relations and client families’ experiences of preventive family support. Both studies address sensitive family issues, in particular Finnish child welfare. The first author’s interview data consist of interviews with foster children, social network maps and diaries and the second author’s data of interviews with six client families. Most of the interviews were conducted at the participants’ homes, but in the second author's study two in…

Inter-generational learning of teachers: what and how do teachers learn from older and younger colleagues?

2018

Abstract: This paper examines how and what teachers learn from their older and younger colleagues. Data were gathered from interviews and written reports from 27 Belgian and Finnish teachers. Thematic qualitative analysis was used. The results revealed differences in what teachers learn from older and younger colleagues. Teachers reported learning innovative teaching methods and ICT skills from younger colleagues, whereas practical information, classroom management skills, self-regulation and community building were learned mainly from older colleagues. Attitudes regarding teaching and different ways of being a teacher were learned from both younger and older colleagues alike. Similarities …

Conceptions associated with sense of belonging in different school placements for Finnish pupils with special education needs

2015

AbstractThe aim of this study was to examine conceptions associated with sense of belonging (SEBE) in Finnish general and special school placements for pupils with special education needs. Five pupils were selected for this study by means of purposive sampling. They had a history of several school placements prior to arriving at their current special school. Qualitative phenomenographic analyses of interview transcripts revealed numerous conceptions regarding the pupils’ SEBE in the different educational placements. The pupils had undergone numerous placements in which their SEBE had been jeopardised, as disturbing relationships with teachers and peers seemed to have affected the pupils’ me…