Proactive and Preventive Student Welfare Activities in Finnish Preschool and Elementary School: Handling of Transition to Formal Schooling and a National Anti-Bullying Program as Examples

Prerequisites and effects of proactive and preventive psycho-social student welfare activities in Finnish preschool and elementary school were of interest in the present thesis. So far, Finnish student welfare work has mainly focused on interventions and individuals, and the voluminous possibilities to enhance well-being of all students as a part of everyday school work have not been fully exploited. Consequently, in this thesis three goals were set: (1) To present concrete examples of proactive and preventive psycho-social student welfare activities in Finnish basic education; (2) To investigate measurable positive effects of proactive and preventive activities; and (3) To investigate implementation of proactive and preventive activities in ecological contexts. Two prominent phenomena in preschool and elementary school years—transition to formal schooling and school bullying—were chosen as examples of critical situations that are appropriate targets for proactive and preventive psycho-social student welfare activities. Until lately, the procedures concerning both school transitions and school bullying have been rather problem-focused and reactive in nature. Theoretically, we lean on the bioecological model of development by Bronfenbrenner and Morris with concentric micro-, meso-, exo- and macrosystems. Data were drawn from two large-scale research projects, the longitudinal First Steps Study: Interactive Learning in the Child–Parent– Teacher Triangle, and the Evaluation Study of the National Antibullying Program KiVa. In Study I, we found that the academic skills of children from preschool–elementary school pairs that implemented several supportive activities during the preschool year developed more quickly from preschool to Grade 1 compared with the skills of children from pairs that used fewer practices. In Study II, we focused on possible effects of proactive and preventive actions on teachers and found that participation in the KiVa antibullying program influenced teachers‘ self-evaluated competence to tackle bullying. In Studies III and IV, we investigated factors that affect implementation rate of these proactive and preventive actions. In Study III, we found that principal‘s commitment and support for antibullying work has a clear-cut positive effect on implementation adherence of student lessons of the KiVa antibullying program. The more teachers experience support for and commitment to anti-bullying work from their principal, the more they report having covered KiVa student lessons and topics. In Study IV, we wanted to find out why some schools implement several useful and inexpensive transition practices, whereas other schools use only a few of them. We were interested in broadening the scope and looking at local-level (exosystem) qualities, and, in fact, the local-level activities and guidelines, along with teacherreported importance of the transition practices, were the only factors significantly associated with the implementation rate of transition practices between elementary schools and partner preschools. Teacher- and school-level factors available in this study turned out to be mostly not significant. To summarize, the results confirm that school-based promotion and prevention activities may have beneficial effects not only on students but also on teachers. Second, various top-down processes, such as engagement at the level of elementary school principals or local administration may enhance implementation of these beneficial activities. The main message is that when aiming to support the lives of children the primary focus should be on adults. In future, promotion of psychosocial well-being and the intrinsic value of inter- and intrapersonal skills need to be strengthened in the Finnish educational systems. Future research efforts in student welfare and school psychology, as well as focused training for psychologists in educational contexts, should be encouraged in the departments of psychology and education in Finnish universities. Moreover, a specific research centre for school health and well-being should be established.Hyvinvointia edistävä ja ongelmia ennaltaehkäisevä oppilashuoltotyö esi- ja perusopetuksessa. Esimerkkeinä nivelvaiheen yhteistyö ja KiVa Koulu -toimenpideohjelma Tässä väitöskirjatyössä tutkittiin hyvinvointia edistävän ja ongelmia ennaltaehkäisevän oppilashuoltotyön vaikutuksia ja ennakkoehtoja suomalaisessa esi- ja perusopetuksessa. Lainsäädännön ja opetussuunnitelmien perusteiden linjauksista huolimatta esi- ja perusopetuksen oppilashuoltotyö on tähän saakka ollut melko yksilö- ja ongelmakeskeistä, ja mahdollisuutta edistää kaikkien koululaisten hyvää oppimista ja hyvinvointia osana koulun arkea ei ole hyödynnetty riittävästi. Tämän työn tavoitteina oli: (1) Tarjota konkreettisia esimerkkejä siitä, mitä hyvinvointia edistävä ja ongelmia ennaltaehkäisevä oppilashuoltotyö on. (2) Tutkia tämän työn mahdollisia myönteisiä vaikutuksia. (3) Tutkia hyvinvointia edistävän ja ongelmia ennaltaehkäisevän oppilashuoltotyön toteutumiseen vaikuttavia tekijöitä esi- ja perusopetuksen ekologisessa kontekstissa. Tutkittaviksi ilmiöiksi valittiin peruskoulun aloittaminen sekä koulukiusaaminen, joihin on aiemmin puututtu lähinnä ongelmakeskeisesti arvioimalla koulutulokkaiden kouluvalmiutta ja puuttumalla ilmenneisiin kiusaamistapauksiin. Koska koulun aloittaminen sekä toverisuhteet ja ryhmäilmiöt koskevat koko ikäluokkaa, hyödyllisempää olisi pohtia jo ennalta, miten niiden onnistumista voidaan tukea kaikkien lasten kohdalla. Tutkimuksen teoreettisena taustana on Bronfenbrennerin ja Morrisin bioekologinen kehitysteoria, joka perustuu sisäkkäisille konteksteille, mikro-, meso-, ekso- ja makrosysteemeille. Tutkimus on osa kahta mittavaa hanketta, Alkuportaat-pitkittäistutkimusta sekä KiVa Koulu, kiusaamisen vastainen toimenpideohjelma -vaikuttavuustutkimusta. Tutkimuksen ensimmäisessä osatyössä havaittiin, että kun esikoulu ja alkuopetus tekivät esikouluvuoden aikana runsaasti nivelvaiheyhteistyötä, oppilaiden akateemiset taidot kehittyivät 1. luokan aikana nopeammin. Toisessa osatyössä tutkittiin hyvinvointia edistävän ja ongelmia ennaltaehkäisevän työn vaikutuksia opettajiin ja havaittiin, että osallistuminen KiVa Koulu - ohjelmaan vaikutti opettajan itsearvioituihin valmiuksiin tarttua kiusaamiseen. Kolmas ja neljäs osatyö keskittyivät tarkastelemaan, mitkä tekijät vaikuttavat hyvinvointia edistävien ja ongelmia ennaltaehkäisevien toimenpiteiden toteutumiseen kouluissa. Kolmannessa osatyössä osoitimme, että rehtorin sitoutuminen KiVa Koulu -toimenpideohjelmaan vaikutti myönteisesti siihen, miten aktiivisesti opettajat pitivät ohjelmaan kuuluvia ennaltaehkäiseviä oppitunteja. Kun opettajat kokivat rehtorin olevan sitoutunut kiusaamisen vastaiseen työhön ja saavansa häneltä tukea, he pitivät enemmän oppitunteja ja käsittelivät tunneilla enemmän aiheita. Neljännessä osatyössä selvitimme, miksi kustannustehokasta nivelvaiheen yhteistyötä tehdään joissain kouluissa enemmän kuin muissa. Näkökulma oli erityisesti kuntatason toiminnassa, ja pystyimmekin osoittamaan, että kahden kunnan väliltä löytyi merkittävämpiä eroja kuin koulujen tai yksittäisten opettajien väliltä. Toisessa tutkimuskunnassa nivelvaiheen yhteistyön kehittämiseen oli systemaattisesti panostettu esiopetuksen ja perusopetuksen hallinnon tasolla. Myös yksittäisten opettajien arvio nivelvaiheyhteistyön tärkeydestä oli yhteydessä heidän ilmoittamaansa nivelvaiheyhteistyön määrään. Yhteenvetona voidaan todeta, että hyvinvointia edistävät ja ongelmia ennaltaehkäisevät toimet voivat olla hyödyllisiä paitsi oppilaille myös opettajille ja että ylhäältä alas suuntautuvat kehittämistoimet, kuten rehtorin sitoutuminen ja tuki sekä hallintokuntien kehittämistyö, voivat edistää käytännön oppilashuoltotyötä ja sen puitteita kouluissa. Tulokset korostavat aikuisten merkitystä lasten hyvinvoinnin kannalta: jos lasten elämää halutaan parantaa, on keskityttävä siihen mitä aikuiset tekevät. On myös tärkeää vahvistaa psykososiaalisen hyvinvoinnin merkitystä sekä tunne- ja ihmissuhdetaitojen itseisarvoa suomalaisessa koulussa. Yliopistoissa tulisi panostaa oppilashuollon ja koulupsykologityön tutkimukseen sekä kasvatuksen ja koulutuksen konteksteissa työskentelevien psykologien kouluttamiseen. Oman kouluhyvinvointiin keskittyvän tutkimuskeskuksen perustamista tulisi myös harkita.Siirretty Doriast

Children's diurnal cortisol output and temperament in two different childcare settings at 2 and 3.5 years of age

Prior research suggests that child temperament may play an important role in early childhood stress regulation. We compared children's diurnal cortisol and the association between cortisol and temperament in two different childcare settings. Cortisol was measured from saliva samples over 2 days in children (N = 84) attending out-of-home childcare and in children (N = 27), who were cared for at home at the age of 3.5 years. There was no difference between the childcare groups in total diurnal cortisol. However, of the individual measurements, afternoon cortisol levels were higher in the out-of-home childcare group during their childcare day when compared with their home day. Child temperament was not associated with total diurnal cortisol. Comparison with our prior measurements showed that the association between temperamental surgency/extroversion and total diurnal cortisol diminished along with the child age from 2 to 3.5 years in both childcare settings. This may indicate that more extroverted children are physiologically more reactive to environmental stimuli when they are younger, but this association does not appear as the children develop. Our results further suggest that the afternoon hours in the out-of-home childcare may be demanding and accelerate the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis activation in young children independent of their age.</p

The KiVa antibullying curriculum and outcome: Does fidelity matter?

Research on school-based prevention suggests that the success of prevention programs depends on whether they are implemented as intended. In antibullying program evaluations, however, limited attention has been paid to implementation fidelity. The present study fills in this gap by examining the link between the implementation of the KiVa antibullying program and outcome. With a large sample of 7413 students (7&ndash;12 years) from 417 classrooms within 76 elementary schools, we tested whether the degree of implementation of the student lessons in the KiVa curriculum was related to the effectiveness of the program in reducing bullying problems in classrooms. Results of multilevel structural equation modeling revealed that after nine months of implementation, lesson adherence as well as lesson preparation time (but not duration of lessons) were associated with reductions in victimization at the classroom level. No statistically significant effects, however, were found for classroom-level bullying. The different outcomes for victimization and bullying as well as the importance of documenting program fidelity are discussed.</p

Toddlers’ diurnal cortisol levels affected by out-of-home, center-based childcare and at-home, guardian-supervised childcare: comparison between different caregiving contexts

Previous research suggests that attending non-parental out-of-home childcare is associated with elevated cortisol levels for some children. We aimed to compare diurnal saliva cortisol levels between children having out-of-home, center-based childcare or those having at-home, guardian-supervised childcare in Finland. A total of 213 children, aged 2.1 years (SD = 0.6), were drawn from the ongoing Finnish birth cohort study. Saliva samples were collected over 2 consecutive days (Sunday and Monday), with four samples drawn during each day: 30 min after waking up in the morning, at 10 am, between 2 and 3 pm, and in the evening before sleep. These results suggest that the shapes of the diurnal cortisol profiles were similar in both childcare groups following a typical circadian rhythm. However, the overall cortisol levels were on average 30% higher (95% CI: [9%, 54%], p = .004) with the at-home childcare in comparison with the out-of-home childcare group. Furthermore, a slight increase in the diurnal cortisol pattern was noticed in both groups and in both measurement days during the afternoon. This increase was 27% higher ([2%, 57%], p = .031) in the out-of-home childcare group during the out-of-home childcare day in comparison with the at-home childcare day. The elevated afternoon cortisol levels were partly explained by the afternoon naps, but there were probably other factors as well producing the cortisol rise during the afternoon hours. Further research is needed to define how a child’s individual characteristic as well as their environmental factors associate with cortisol secretion patterns in different caregiving contexts.</p

Child Temperament and Total Diurnal Cortisol in Out-of-Home Center-Based Child Care and in At-Home Parental Care

The association between child temperament characteristics and total diurnal saliva cortisol in 84 children (M = 2.3 years, SD = 0.6) attending out-of-home, center-based child care and 79 children (M = 2.0 years, SD = 0.5) attending at-home parental care was examined. Saliva samples were collected during two consecutive days, that is, Sunday and Monday, with four samples taken per day. While children higher in surgency had higher total diurnal cortisol production, we did not find evidence that temperament moderated the associations between child-care context and total diurnal cortisol. Negative affectivity and effortful control were not related to cortisol output. Our findings suggest that temperamental surgency may be associated with higher total cortisol production in early childhood across child-care settings.</p

Diffusion tensor imaging is associated with motor outcomes of very preterm born children at 11 years of age

Aim Very preterm children born Methods A cohort of 37 very preterm infants (mean gestational age 29 4/7, SD 2 0/7) born in 2004-2006 in Turku University Hospital underwent diffusion tensor imaging at term. A region of interest analysis of fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity was performed. Motor outcomes at 11 years of age were measured with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children - Second Edition. Results The diffusion metrics of the corpus callosum (genu P = .005, splenium P = .049), the left corona radiata (P = .035) and the right optic radiation (P = .017) were related to later motor performance. Mean diffusivity decreased and fractional anisotropy increased in proportion to the improving performance. Conclusion The diffusion metrics of the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum, the left corona radiata and the right optic radiation at term were associated with motor skills at 11 years of age. Diffusion tensor imaging should be further studied as a potential tool in recognising children at risk for motor impairment.</div