5th and 6th Grade Pupils’ English Contacts Outside the Classroom - A Case Study

The aim of this case study is to examine the quality and quantity of 5th and 6th grade pupils’ contacts with the English language outside the classroom. Results are based on pupils’ own perceptions and feelings about their English contacts and learning English outside the classroom. The theory part of this thesis covers such matters as second language acquisition, implicit learning and the role of English language in Finland. The study was conducted in a small school in Southwest Finland with semi-structured interviews. All 13 students from grades five and six were interviewed in the spring of 2017. The transcribed interviews were analysed and placed under different themes. The results indicate that the most common contacts with the English language among this group of pupils were Youtube, electronic games and using English with Finnish-speaking friends. Just over half of the pupils claimed they encountered English contacts daily, but encountering was mainly exposure to the language, not speaking. All the interviewed pupils felt they learned English from these outside the classroom contacts. Keywords: English contacts, implicit learning, second language acquisition, self-evaluatio

Jokaisessa meissä asuu erilaisuus : Lähiesimies asenteiden muokkaajana vajaakuntoisen nuoren työllistymiseksi

Opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli selvittää vajaakuntoisten nuorten työllistymistä ja mahdollisia negatiivisia asenteita sitä kohtaan sekä lähiesimiehen keinoja työllistää vajaakuntoinen nuori työyhteisöönsä. Tarkoituksena oli löytää lähiesimiehen keinoja vajaakuntoisen nuoren työllistymisen edistämiseksi ja se oli myös opinnäytetyön tutkimusongelma. Opinnäytetyön tutkimus suoritettiin kvalitatiivisena, ja tutkimusaineisto kerättiin joulukuun 2017 ja helmikuun 2018 välisenä aikana. Tutkimusta varten haastateltiin kymmentä eri-ikäistä henkilöä, joilla on paljon kokemusta esimiestyöskentelystä vajaakuntoisia nuoria työllistävissä yrityksissä. Haastattelut toteutettiin teemahaastatteluina, ja ne analysoitiin teemoittelemalla. Analyysin tulokset peilattiin opinnäytetyön teoreettiseen viitekehykseen. Tutkimus tehtiin tutkijatriangulaatiota hyödyntäen ja yhteistyönä kahden opinnäytetyön tekijän kanssa. Tutkimustulosten perusteella voidaan todeta, että vajaakuntoisten nuorten työllistyminen on erittäin vaikeaa ja sitä todistaa myös Suomen korkea nuorisotyöttömyys. Työllistymisen merkityksellisimmiksi esteiksi nähtiin työllistämisen kalleus sekä vallalla oleva negatiivinen asenneilmasto vajaakuntoisuutta ja työn räätälöintiä kohtaan. Lähiesimies voi vaikuttaa työyhteisön asenteisiin omalla ennakkoluulottomalla asenteella, avoimuudella, riittävällä perehdytyksellä sekä selkeällä työnjaolla. Johtopäätösten perusteella jatkotutkimuksen aiheeksi ehdotettiin syvällisempää nuorisotyöttömyyden tutkimusta Pohjoismaissa, jotta löydettäisiin keinot, millä esimerkiksi Islanti on onnistunut pudottamaan nuorisotyöttömyyden kaikkein alhaisimmaksi.Abstract The aim of the thesis was to find out employment possibilities and potential negative attitudes towards disabled young people, as well as the means of a close supervisor to employ a disabled young person in their work community. The objective was to find out ways for the close supervisor to promote the employment of the disabled young person and it was also a research problem in the thesis. The thesis research was conducted qualitatively, and the research material was collected between December 2017 and February 2018. For the research, ten people of different ages were interviewed, who had a lot of experience in supervisory work in companies employing disabled young peoples. The interviews were conducted as theme polls and analyzed by themes. The results of the analysis were mirrored to the theoretical reference framework of the thesis. The research was carried out using a researcher triangulation and it was written in co-operation with two authors of the thesis. Based on the results of the research, it can be concluded that the employment of disabled young people is very difficult and is also evidenced by high youth unemployment in Finland. The most significant barriers to employment were the cost of employment and the prevalent negative climate of attitudes towards disability and job tailoring. A close supervisor can influence the attitudes of the work community with their own open-minded attitude, openness, adequate orientation, and a clear division of labor. Based on the conclusions, the topic of further research was to propose deeper research into youth unemployment in the Nordic countries to find out ways in which, for example, Iceland has succeeded in reducing youth unemployment to the lowest level

Intake of vitamin E and other antioxidant nutrients in early life and the development of advanced ?-cell autoimmunity and clinical type 1 diabetes

E-vitamiinin ja muiden antioksidantteina toimivien ravintoaineiden on oletettu suojaavan tyypin 1 diabeteksen kehittymiseltä. ETM Liisa Uusitalon väitöskirjassa selvitettiin veren E-vitamiinipitoisuuden yhteyttä tyypin 1 diabeteksen kehittymiseen lapsilla. Lisäksi tutkittiin äidin raskaudenaikaisen antioksidantteina toimivien ravintoaineiden saannin yhteyttä tyypin 1 diabeteksen esiasteeseen lapsella. Esiasteen määritelmä perustuu tyypin 1 diabetekseen kytkeytyvien autovasta-aineiden toteamiseen lapsen verestä, ja se merkitsee huomattavaa riskiä sairastua myöhemmin tyypin 1 diabetekseen. Tutkimuksen perusteella veren korkea E-vitamiinipitoisuus ei näytä suojaavan lapsia tyypin 1 diabeteksen esiasteelta. Vahvaa näyttöä ei saatu myöskään siitä, että veren korkea E-vitamiinipitoisuus suojaisi kliinisen tyypin 1 diabeteksen puhkeamiselta. Äidin runsas A-vitamiinin, beetakaroteenin, C-vitamiinin, E-vitamiinin, seleenin, sinkin tai mangaanin saanti odotusaikana ei pienentänyt lapsen riskiä saada esidiabetes ensimmäisten elinvuosien aikana. Odottavilla äideillä esiintyi suurta vaihtelua antioksidantteina toimivien ravintoaineiden saannissa. Nuori ikä, alhainen koulutustaso ja raskaudenaikainen tupakointi olivat tärkeimmät alhaista saantia ennustavat tekijät. Väitöskirjatyö toteutettiin kahden suomalaisen seurantatutkimuksen aineistoilla. Lasten diabetes Suomessa (DiMe) tutkimukseen kuului tyypin 1 diabetekseen sairastuneiden lasten sisaruksia, ja Diabeteksen ennustaminen ja ehkäisy (DIPP) tutkimuksen aineisto muodostui tyypin 1 diabetekselle geneettisesti alttiista lapsista, joita seurattiin syntymästä lähtien.Free radicals, highly reactive oxygen or nitrogen compounds at high concentrations are harmful to human health. They are believed to play a role in the development of all the major degenerative diseases, and may also be involved in the development of type 1 diabetes. Antioxidants are substances with an ability to neutralize free radicals. Antioxidant defense system of the body consists of antioxidative enzymes, other endogenously synthetized compounds and dietary antioxidants. Vitamin E, vitamin C and β-carotene are the classicl dietary antioxidants. Diet also provides the trace elements needed as cofactors of antioxidative enzymes. The effect of antioxidant nutrients on the development of type 1 diabetes has been studied mainly in animal models, and research has concentrated on vitamin E and zinc. Protective effects against diabetes have been reported for both. Epidemiological studies on the associations of antioxidant nutrients with type 1 diabetes are rare. The present study falls into the field of nutritional epidemiology. It is based on epidemiological analyses of the associations of vitamin E and other antioxidant nutrients with the development of type 1 diabetes. The specific research objectives were: to analyze whether serum vitamin E concentrations are associated with the risk of pre-type 1 diabetes, defined as repeated positivity for ICA and at least one other disease-predictive autoantibody, and with clinical type 1 diabetes; to analyze whether maternal intake of vitamin E or other selected antioxidant nutrients or the consumption of their dietary sources during pregnancy is associated with pre-type 1 diabetes in the child; and to analyze the sociodemographic and lifestyle determinants of intake of antioxidant nutrients and consumption of their dietary sources among Finnish pregnant women. The data are derived from two large Finnish cohort studies: the cohort of the Childhood Diabetes in Finland (DiMe) study, which consists of unaffected siblings of children with diabetes, and the Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention (DIPP) project, which is a birth cohort of children with HLA-conferred susceptibility to type 1 diabetes. The associations of serum vitamin E concentration and the risk of clinical type 1 diabetes were analyzed within the DiMe cohort. Two separate study designs were used. In a nested case-control study, α-tocopherol concentrations of cases with type 1 diabetes (n=16) were compared with the concentrations of matched controls (n=81). In the second study design, the association of α-tocopherol with type 1 diabetes was analyzed in a subcohort of seropositive siblings (n=80). During follow-up, 26 siblings progressed to type 1 diabetes. A conditional logistic regression model was employed in the case-control setting, and a Cox regression model in the cohort setting. The associations of serum α- and γ-tocopherol concentrations and preclinical type 1 diabetes were analyzed within the DIPP cohort using a nested case-control study design. There were 108 cases and 216 matched controls with at least one serum sample available. For each case-control set, all the repeated serum samples, collected at 1-year intervals starting from the age of 1 year, were analyzed up to the age of seroconversion of the case. A conditional logistic regression model was used to compare vitamin E concentrations of cases and controls. Maternal antioxidant intake during pregnancy and the consumption of their dietary sources, and their associations with preclinical type 1 diabetes in the child were studied on the DIPP study using a cohort design. The series comprised children with HLA-conferred diseases susceptibility who participated in the follow-up for the emergence of diabetes-associated autoantibodies and/or overt type 1 diabetes and their mothers. Dietary intake during pregnancy was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. During follow-up, 165 children of the total of 4,297 children in the cohort were affected with preclinical and/or clinical type 1 diabetes. The associations of maternal diet with pre-type 1 diabetes in the child were analyzed by piece-wise exponential survival models. The associations of sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics with antioxidant intake among the 3,730 mothers were analyzed by multiple linear regression models, and those with food consumption by multiple logistic regression models. Serum α-tocopherol concentrations analyzed within the cohort of initially non-diabetic siblings showed an inverse association of borderline statistical significance with clinical type 1 diabetes both in the nested case-control design (p=0.08) and in the subcohort of seropositive children (p=0.09), adjusted for potential confounding factors. In the birth cohort of genetically susceptible children, serum - or γ-tocopherol concentrations were not significantly associated with the risk of pre-type 1 diabetes. Neither were the maternal intakes of vitamin E, retinol, β-carotene, vitamin C, selenium, zinc or manganese, or the consumption of their main dietary sources during pregnancy associated with the risk of pre-type 1 diabetes in the offspring. There was considerable variation in the intake of antioxidant nutrients among pregnant women, and all the sociodemographic and lifestyle factors studied (age, parity, own and partner s level of education, smoking during pregnancy, and BMI at the first antenatal visit) were independently associated with antioxidant intake. Young age, low level of education, and smoking during pregnancy were the most important predictors of a low intake of antioxidant nutrients. As a conclusion, a protective effect of vitamin E against clinical type 1 diabetes seems possible, and further studies are warranted. No evidence was found of a protective effect of vitamin E against preclinical type 1 diabetes. In future research, the associations of dietary vitamin E intake with the development of type 1 diabetes should be analyzed. Methodological studies are needed to identify the optimal methods for the measurement of true long-term vitamin E intake. Maternal intake of antioxidant nutrients during pregnancy was also not associated with pre-type 1 diabetes in the offspring. The absence of association could result from the short period of time when the newborn infant is dependent on the maternal antioxidant intake, and therefore it is advisable to next analyze the associations of the child s own antioxidant intake with the development of clinical and preclinical type 1 diabetes

Intake of vitamin E and other antioxidant nutrients in early life and the development of advanced beta-cell autoimmunity and clinical type 1 diabetes

Väitöskirja, liitteenä alkuperäisartikkelit (verkkoversiossa ei alkuperäisartikkeleita

Environmental and phenotype-related risk factors for owner-reported allergic/atopic skin symptoms and for canine atopic dermatitis verified by veterinarian in a Finnish dog population

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to observe whether environmental factors and phenotypic traits are associated with owner-reported skin problems and with veterinary diagnosed canine atopic dermatitis (CAD). Data were collected using the validated online DOGRISK questionnaire. Out of the data that the questionnaire provides for analysis, focus was first turned towards addressing questions regarding 'Atopy/allergy (skin symptoms)' using a total of 8643 dogs: 1585 dogs with owner-reported allergic/atopic skin symptoms and 7058 dogs without. A subsequent analysis compared dogs with veterinary-verified CAD (n = 322) as a case group against the 7058 dogs without owner-reported skin symptoms. The association between 21 factors related to the environment, canine phenotypes and breed groups within both populations were analysed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression. The environmental factors that showed a significant inverse association with the risk of owner-reported allergic/atopic skin symptoms were as following: whether the dog was living in a detached house, whether there were other dogs in the household, and whether the dog was born in the current household. Having over 50% white colour in the coat and living in an extremely clean household were significantly associated with an increased risk of owner-reported allergic/atopic skin symptoms. The five breeds demonstrating the highest proportion of owner-reported allergic/atopic skin symptoms were West Highland white terrier, Boxer, English bulldog, Dalmatian and French bulldog. The Fe A de A ration Cynologique Internationale dog breed groups 3 (Terriers) and 6 (Scent hounds and related breeds) showed a significantly higher risk for owner-reported allergic/atopic skin symptoms than mixed breed dogs. In the second population, the inverse association was observed between the risk of CAD and the presence of other dogs in the household, and whether the dog had been born in the current household. The results indicate that some environmental factors and canine phenotypes are associated with CAD and owner-reported skin symptoms, but they still do not prove causality.Peer reviewe

Validating and reliability testing the descriptive data and three different disease diagnoses of the internet-based DOGRISK questionnaire

Background: The DOGRISK questionnaire is an internet-based ongoing study of canine nutrition, living environment, and disease. Here we aim to assess the performance of the questionnaire using data from the first three years in relation to some descriptive and disease variables. We used associated questions, official register records, test-retest repeatability, and email/mail contact with questionnaire respondents. Results: Reliability against an official register of gender, season of birth, breed, and results of hip radiography was tested and Cohen's Kappa was between 0.95-0.99. Internal consistencies of hypothyroidism status and dog's age were calculated using Cronbach's Alpha (alpha = 0.95 and alpha = 0.99, respectively). Test-retest repeatability of ten variables among 224 participants was analyzed. Gender, season of birth, and born in owner family had Cohen's Kappa > 0.86, color of coat, vaccination status as an adult, other dogs in household, and vaccination status as a puppy had Cohen's Kappa between 0.67-0.80, and body condition score under two months of age and tidiness of household, had Cohen's kappa of 0.45 and 0.42, respectively. In addition, time spent outside had Cohen's kappa of 0.37. Of the owners contacted by email/mail to confirm their dog's atopy/allergy (skin symptoms), 8.9 % reported that they had given an incorrect answer (positive predicted value 91 %), but only 69 % of all reaffirmed positive answers had a diagnosis set by a veterinarian. Conclusions: Our study showed that owners were diligent with basic information and with the status of three diseases. Cohen's Kappa in the reliability of the test-retest was in most variables at least 0.67. We propose that the descriptive variables and the disease variables be used as such when we generate hypotheses from the DOGRISK data.Peer reviewe

The relevance of the Finnish hygiene passport test

The Finnish Hygiene Passport System, a national legislative requirement, has been used to test the food safety knowledge of food handlers for almost 20 years, resulting in over one million approved hygiene passports. However, information on the relevance of the Hygiene Passport System is virtually nonexistent. In order to evaluate the relevance of the official hygiene passport test, we collected a sample of original official hygiene passport tests from test examiners. We also arranged a simulated hygiene passport test for volunteers without any professional background in the food sector to investigate whether the basic level of hygiene knowledge of Finns is sufficient to pass the test. Our study revealed that more than 80% of the participants in the official hygiene passport test passed. However, participants completing the test in a foreign language or with assistance had significantly more difficulties in passing the test. The results for the simulated test suggested that the food safety knowledge of most Finns would have enabled them to pass the official test without prior training, especially those older than 20 and with a higher educational level. The simulated test also revealed that preparation prior to the test, i.e. study or training, was effective in increasing the food safety knowledge of participants, especially when their knowledge level was initially low, as among young participants. Moreover, significant variation in the difficulty of the test itself was observed, which may affect the pass rate. The current study supports the relevance of the hygiene passport test, showing that without the national requirement for the hygiene passport test, the level of food hygiene knowledge of new employees in the food sector, especially young people aged under 20, would be lower. However, our results suggest that the relevance of the hygiene passport test should be improved by validation of the test and by using official translations when conducting the test in a foreign language. Digitalization of the test would enable the regular evaluation of the test based on accurate data collection.Peer reviewe