Yhteistoiminnallinen työskentely ja poikkitieteellisen asiantuntijuuden kehittyminen

Peer reviewe

Citizens’ sustainable, future-oriented energy behaviours in energy transition

This study explored individuals' engagement in the sustainable energy transition in Finland. Using the attitude-behaviour-context model (Guagnano et al., 1995) and Stern's (2000) typology of environmentally significant behaviours, this study tested the assumption that individuals' engagement in transition is a combination of socio-psychological and contextual (socio-economic) variables and that the active engagement requires individuals to have a future orientation, systemic and self-efficacy, subjective knowledge and a pro-environmental attitude. The survey (N = 1012), representative of the 17-75-yearold Finnish population, was analysed with exploratory factor analysis and linear regression. The socio-psychological variables explained a larger portion of variance than the socio-economic variables in all three types of sustainable energy behaviours. The consideration of future consequences, self-efficacy and knowledge were positively associated with all three types of sustainable energy behaviours. Systemic efficacy was positively associated with and the consideration of immediate consequences was negatively associated with private-sphere environmentalism. The results suggest that individuals' consideration of the immediate and distant future should be included in the socio-psychological models of sustainable behaviours. The results also suggest that policymakers need to focus on strengthening citizens' efficacy beliefs, future orientation and knowledge. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.peerReviewe

Citizens’ images of a sustainable energy transition

Achieving a sustainable energy transition is crucial for mitigating climate change. Citizens' acceptance of the transition is important for it to succeed. We explored citizens' images of the future energy forms and energy system in Finland, and the drivers of a sustainable energy transition. The data gathered with an online questionnaire targeting an adult population 17–75 years of age (N = 1012) were analysed with exploratory factor analysis and multiple linear regression. Four dimensions of future energy forms were identified: next-generation renewables, fossil energy, bioenergy, and established renewable vs. nuclear energy. Four dimensions of the future energy system were also identified: renewing the energy market, domestic power, small-scale producers, and consumer awareness. Five transition drivers were likewise identified: mainstreaming renewable energy, international actors, individual actions, changing values and economy, and emancipatory change. Mainstreaming renewable energy emerged as the key driver of transition, followed by individual actions. Generally, the sustainable energy transition was strongly supported by citizens' images, but different socio-economic groups preferred somewhat different images. Thus, the diversity of consumers' and citizens’ roles in the transition needs to be acknowledged and encouraged in legitimate national energy policies.peerReviewe

Private landowners and protected species : What sort of noncompliance should we be worried about?

Species protection legislation has been used as one of the main approaches in conservation - yet in many cases we know only little about the effectiveness and side-effects of such regulation. Noncompliance can limit effectiveness of legislative protection, and deliberate harmful actions by landowners have sometimes been reported as a response to restrictions. We studied attitudes of 186 Finnish forest owners toward the protection of Siberian flying squirrel Pteromys volans - a species which is protected according to the European Union Habitats Directive and is a well-known example for species protection in Finland. We explored the attitudes and claims of harming protected species by comparing the responses of persons with and without direct experience of legal protection by structural equation modelling. We found that experience did not explain forest owners' attitudes toward having the species in their forest. Claims of harming protected species were connected to policy attitudes and should be interpreted as a political phenomenon: they reflect political discourse on conservation policy and are a part of debate between stakeholders. Accidental and reckless noncompliance seem more important phenomena than intentional harming, especially as the chance in Finnish Nature conservation likely Act likely affects information of nest sites on logging areas. Other instruments than legislative protection of known nest sites might be more effective in protecting the flying squirrel population. (C) 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

Special education teachers’ views on their agency in teacher collaboration

Special education teachers’ (SETs) views on their agency in teacher collaboration were analysed using Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). Finnish SETs (N = 238) answered open-ended survey questions concerning successful and unsuccessful collaboration with the classroom teachers in a tiered support framework. The findings revealed that the perceived agency of the special education teachers is both limited by and directed towards the classroom teachers’ understanding of the shared responsibility concerning support provision for students. Finally, the findings highlight the relevance of the cultural-historical activity theory by suggesting that the features of successful collaboration, in tandem with relevant constructs of the theory, constitute a mutual understanding of the goal of collaboration (shared object), structures (community) and guidance (norms) towards relevant use of instruments and fair division of responsibilities (division of labour). Implications for inclusive special education suggest that reciprocal reflection on the teaching practices requires shared everyday work between the SETs and the classroom teachers.</p

The Work of Special Education Teachers in the Tiered Support System: The Finnish Case

This study investigated primary school special education teachers’ (SETs’) (N = 283) conceptions on their work descriptions and uses of pedagogical documents after a reform in the national support framework. The respondents of this survey reported working mostly in Tiers 1 and 2 when all their tasks (instruction, consultation, and managerial tasks) were considered. The responsibilities of the SETs were, however, more clearly defined in Tier 3. The SETs allocate their work autonomously, but their work description is related to their workload. Clarifications in work descriptions and further elaboration of school’s tiered support functions, emphasizing collaborative practices, are suggested.</p

Citizens’ images of a sustainable energy transition

Achieving a sustainable energy transition is crucial for mitigating climate change. Citizens' acceptance of the transition is important for it to succeed. We explored citizens' images of the future energy forms and energy system in Finland, and the drivers of a sustainable energy transition. The data gathered with an online questionnaire targeting an adult population 17–75 years of age (N = 1012) were analysed with exploratory factor analysis and multiple linear regression. Four dimensions of future energy forms were identified: next-generation renewables, fossil energy, bioenergy, and established renewable vs. nuclear energy. Four dimensions of the future energy system were also identified: renewing the energy market, domestic power, small-scale producers, and consumer awareness. Five transition drivers were likewise identified: mainstreaming renewable energy, international actors, individual actions, changing values and economy, and emancipatory change. Mainstreaming renewable energy emerged as the key driver of transition, followed by individual actions. Generally, the sustainable energy transition was strongly supported by citizens' images, but different socio-economic groups preferred somewhat different images. Thus, the diversity of consumers' and citizens’ roles in the transition needs to be acknowledged and encouraged in legitimate national energy policies.</p

Citizens’ views on the future of renewable energy

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Two sides of biogas : Review of ten dichotomous argumentation lines of sustainable energy systems

Societal debates are often constructed through dichotomies influenced by various factors such as cognitive capabilities of individuals, culturally shaped valuation processes, underlying societal struggles for power and prestige, economic competition, technological changes or lock-ins and operation logic of the media and social media. Debates over emerging technologies of renewable energy provide an illustrative example of this polarisation. Based on national-level studies focusing on the development of the biogas sector in Finland, we identify ten pertinent dichotomies of renewable energy and discuss their implications for the transition towards a more sustainable energy system. The dichotomies include: producer vs. consumer, urban vs. rural, local vs. national, domestic vs. foreign, centralised vs. distributed, food vs. energy, environment vs. economy, traditional vs. innovative, long-term vs. short-term, and private vs. public. These diverse and deeply rooted dichotomies structure societal debate. In some cases they may encourage and guide critical thinking, but they may also hinder the renewing of the current energy behaviour and energy system. Societal capabilities that enable the bridging of different but inherently linked dichotomies are a key precondition of sustainable energy transition.peerReviewe

Two sides of biogas: Review of ten dichotomous argumentation lines of sustainable energy systems

Societal debates are often constructed through dichotomies influenced by various factors such as cognitive capabilities of individuals, culturally shaped valuation processes, underlying societal struggles for power and prestige, economic competition, technological changes or lock-ins and operation logic of the media and social media. Debates over emerging technologies of renewable energy provide an illustrative example of this polarisation. Based on national-level studies focusing on the development of the biogas sector in Finland, we identify ten pertinent dichotomies of renewable energy and discuss their implications for the transition towards a more sustainable energy system. The dichotomies include: producer vs. consumer, urban vs. rural, local vs. national, domestic vs. foreign, centralised vs. distributed, food vs. energy, environment vs. economy, traditional vs. innovative, long-term vs. short-term, and private vs. public. These diverse and deeply rooted dichotomies structure societal debate. In some cases they may encourage and guide critical thinking, but they may also hinder the renewing of the current energy behaviour and energy system. Societal capabilities that enable the bridging of different but inherently linked dichotomies are a key precondition of sustainable energy transition.</p