Enhancing peer interaction during guided play in Finnish integrated special groups

This article focused on the pedagogy that enhances peer interaction in integrated special groups. In Finland, most children identified as having special educational needs (SEN) attend day-care in mainstream kindergarten groups; the rest are in integrated or segregated early childhood special education (ECSE) groups in public day-care centres [National Institute of Health and Welfare. 2013. "Child Day Care 2013 - Municipal Survey." Accessed March 15, 2016. https://www.julkari.fi/bitstream/handle/10024 /116231/Tr16_14.pdf?sequence=4]. An integrated group, which typically consists of seven children without and five with SEN, is supposed to be an inclusive environment that provides an atmosphere in which every child can feel togetherness and be scaffolded [Pihlaja, P. 2009. "Erityisen tuen kaytannot varhaiskasvatuksessa - nakokulmana inkluusio." [The Special Education Practices in Early Childhood Education - Inclusion as Viewpoint.] Kasvatus 2: 146-156]. Our aim was to examine how ECSE professionals' pedagogical practices were used to enhance peer interaction in interactive play. We analysed 14 videotaped sessions of guided play and conceptualized the studied phenomenon by portraying five guidance types in which the identified pedagogical practices were used in different ways.Peer reviewe

Emotional and Playful Stance Taking in Joint Play between Adults and Very Young Children

The purpose of this single case study was to investigate emotional and playful stance taking in adults and very young children as they engage in joint make-believe play activity in a natural Finnish group-care setting. Drawing on the sequential approach of conversation analysis (CA), the study represents an effort to understand play in an early childhood education (ECE) setting from both children's and adults' perspectives at the same time. The results suggest that the interplay of emotional and playful stance taking in make-believe play produces emotional transitions in interaction. These transitions can be understood as interactional accomplishments that offer children and adults the possibility to align and affiliate themselves with their own and each other's emotional experiences and to explore personal reflections of the emotionally heightened real-life trajectories in a shared make-believe play frame. Based on these findings, it is argued that creating and maintaining emotionally heightened joint play with very young children requires adults' emotional involvement and delicately calibrated participation through leading, following and leading by following. Further empirical study is needed to investigate sequences in which playful and emotional stance taking stand in a non-aligning and non-affiliating relationship. Such research could reveal problem-remedy sequences more evidently and provide important further development of ECE theory and practice for children under the age of three.Peer reviewe

Interprofessional practicum in the context of Finnish early childhood education and care

At present, interprofessional collaboration is the agenda for progression in the Finnish ECEC field. Supporting students' professional development toward interprofessional collaboration during the pre-service time is regarded as important. This study examined interprofessional practicum in ECEC centres and explored both students’ and mentors’ perceptions on it. Focus group discussions were analysed through content analysis. The results revealed that students and mentors perceived interprofessional practicum as important in terms of professional development. The most rewarding experiences were related to the students' joint assignment, the Topaasia game, and the students' peer support. The negative experiences were related to organisational issues that complicated the preparation for the practicum period and limited collaboration between students. For appropriate implementation, the interprofessional practicum still requires long-term progression. Based on students’ and mentors’ perceptions, recommendations for organising interprofessional practicum in ECEC centres are presented

Children’s negative experiences as a part of quality evaluation in early childhood education and care

Quality factors are the subject of increasing interest in the research and practice of early childhood education and care (ECEC). The purpose of the article is to emphasize the importance of the children's voice in relation to the quality of ECEC. This article focuses on children's negative experiences of ECEC as they can be used to improve services and increase children's wellbeing. The data was collected by means of a questionnaire from 2500 children aged 2-6 years (girls 50.4%) in Finland. The data was analysed using qualitative and quantitative content analysis. According to the results, children mentioned both structural and process factors. Peer interaction among children was mentioned the most when referring to negative experiences in ECEC. We conclude that children's negative experiences provide an opportunity for ECEC professionals to support children's resilience and a sense of belonging, which are important elements in the process quality of ECEC.Peer reviewe

Children’s self-regulation and coping strategies in a frustrated context in early education

Background: A large body of earlier research has focused on studying children's self-regulation (SR) skills and frustration with different methods. However, considerably less attention has been given to hearing children's own voice. The current study sought to demonstrate children's own comprehension and highlight it as a valuable and unique tendency to fill the scientific gap in the research area. Aim: This research aimed to contribute the empirical understanding of how SR, as mental ability, supported children's coping strategies and comprehensions which they will possibly use in a hypothetical frustrated context in the Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC) environment. Setting: Self-regulation and strategies in a frustrating context were studied with mixed methods in a sample (n = 383) of 48-87-month-old children in Finland. Self-regulation was assessed by their own teachers with an evaluation form. The coping strategies of frustration were studied by interview where the children's open-ended descriptions provided the strategies told by themselves. Methods: The study's was conducted by using mixed methods. Two independent instruments to measure SR and strategies for frustration were used. Self-regulation was assessed by teacher with an evaluation form. The coping strategies of frustration were studied via child interview. Results: Good SR skills were related to persistent coping strategies and not giving up in a simulated situation. Weak SR skills related more with uncertain or withdrawal coping strategies, like giving up, or abandoning the situation. Conclusion: Self-regulation skills have an important role in guiding children with their use and narration of suitable coping strategies on overcoming the frustration effectively. The concrete strategies would allow teachers to work concretely with children in enhancing their SR skills and coping strategies further.Peer reviewe

Changes and stability in daily cortisol values and their correlation to attention measured in a prolonged working task among Finnish six-year-old day-care children

Peer reviewe

Participation, involvement and peer relationships in children with special educational needs in early childhood education

The aim of this study was to obtain new information about the diversity of everyday activities and social relations among children with special education needs (N = 145) in Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC) units. In this research children ' s daily activities, involvement, target of attention and social relations during play and other social activities in different groups formed according to children's special educational needs are investigated. Results revealed that children with problems in self-regulation and children with major disabilities spent less time with peers and in various social activities than children with developmental language disorder and children without special education needs. The results suggest that inclusive practices are still only under development within the Finnish ECEC units. Practical implications of the results concerning ways to support children's equal participation in daily activities in early childhood education and in building peer relationships, regardless of the amount of needed support are discussed.Peer reviewe

Nuoruuden kehitys - mitä tapahtuu pinnan alla?

Teema : Nuorisolääketiede. English summaryPeer reviewe

Children’s stress activation in integrated early childhood special education and its connections to special educational needs and temperament

The aim of this study was to examine how children’s stress activation is related to special educational needs (SEN) and temperament in early childhood special education (ECSE). The study had 76 participants from 17 integrated ECSE groups. At the beginning, the children were divided into four status groups as follows: children without SEN, children with language disorders, children with self-regulation difficulties, and children with severe disabilities. The children’s temperament was assessed by their parents. Stress activation was examined by collecting and studying saliva samples from the children on two consecutive days. The results showed no differences between stress activation in the children’s status groups, nor any connections between stress activation and temperament. The high quality of the ECSE groups might explain these results. Further research based on these findings is needed.Peer reviewe

Occupational well-being and teamwork in Finnish early childhood education

The study examined Finnish early childhood education professionals’ (ECEP) (n = 107) experiences of occupational well-being and systems intelligent teamwork. Occupational well-being was measured with basic psychological job satisfaction, work engagement and burnout. In the analysis of variances by rank, the ECEPs’ had high work engagement, felt competent and relatedness in a working community. By contrast, their autonomy was low, and they felt exhausted, even though the overall burnout level was low. Extensive working experience increased work-related well-being and perceiving socioemotional systems in work. The ECE teachers had the highest work engagement, basic psychological need satisfaction and lowest burnout, but didn’t feel strongly competent in perceiving systemic interaction structures. On the other hand, the ECE social pedagogues felt most competent in systems intelligence behavior. The ECE childcarers valued the support of the systems intelligence team. In the cluster analysis, we identified two different clusters representing the level of occupational well-being and systems intelligence. The solution presented a connection between the ECE teachers with high work-related well-being and systems intelligence. We suggest that the multi-professional teamwork should be developed according to the ECEPs’ diverse educational background and that professional responsibilities be made more consistent with their education