Borgå som shoppingdestination

Målet och syftet med detta lärdomsprov var att utreda hur Borgå ser ut som shopping-destination idag från detaljhandelsföretagarens synvinkel, hur man kunde utveckla shopping i Borgå, samt väcka detaljhandelsföretagarens intresse att börja utöva sin verksamhet mer marknadsföringseffektivt och turism inriktat. Undersökningsobjekten var detaljhandelsföretagare i Borgå centrum och Gamla stan. Lärdomsprovets teoretiska del baserade sig på litteratur, Internet, tidigare forskningar samt från tidningar om bland annat shoppingdestinationer och dess utvecklingsmöjlig-heter, shoppingturism, detaljhandel och marknadsföring inom detaljhandeln. Den empiriska delen av lärdomsprovet utfördes som en kvalitativ undersökningsmetod som baserade sig på halvstrukturerade temaintervjuer. För undersökningen intervjuades sex stycken detaljhandelsföretagare. Dessa intervjuer utfördes ansikte mot ansikte med respondenterna. Skribenterna använde vid intervjuerna en på förhand uppgjord frågeguide. Resultatet av undersökningen var att detaljhandelsföretagarna anser att Borgå som stad skulle ha potential att utvecklas till en bättre shoppingdestination. Av undersökningen framgick även att det vore lönsamt för alla detaljhandelsföretagare i Borgå att mark-nadsföra sig bättre som en helhet. Enligt undersökningen är det också ett problem från detaljhandelsföretagarnas synvinkel att turisterna har för fullt schema då de besöker Borgå och hinner inte i lugn och ro besöka detaljhandelsaffärerna. Av undersökningen kom det också fram att affärernas öppettider borde gå enligt nutidsmänniskans krav och behov. Genom att ordna olika evenemang och möjligen bygga ett större köpcent-rum i Borgå, kunde staden bli mera intressant som en shoppingdestination. Skribenterna hoppas att Borgå stad kunde använda lärdomsprovet som stöd, ifall de tänker utveckla Borgå till en bättre shoppingdestination i framtiden. Lärdomsprovet kunde även användas som botten till fortsatta undersökningar kring samma ämne i Borgå.The purpose of the thesis was to investigate Porvoo as a shopping destination today, from the retailer’s point of view. Another aim was to see how interest in shopping in Porvoo could be further generated, and also to evoke retailers’ interest in their own businesses to more successfully manage their companies’ marketing strategies and tour-ism influence. The objects for the research were entrepreneurs from downtown Porvoo and Porvoo Old Town. The theoretical part of the thesis is based on literature, Internet, and previous research. It also includes magazine articles discussing shopping destinations and their expansion opportunities, shopping tourism, retail, and retail marketing. The empirical part of the thesis was carried out by a qualitative research method based on semi-structured theme interviews. Six retailers were interviewed for the research by means of the face to face interview method. While interviewing, a pre-structured ques-tion guide was used. The results of the research show the fact that retailers see the potential of further de-veloping Porvoo into an even better shopping destination. The study indicates that it would be more rewarding for retailers in Porvoo to market themselves together as a unit. Another problem arising in the research is the lack of time and the too tight schedules tourists have when visiting Porvoo. The shops’ opening hours do not match the expectations and needs of modern day tourists. By organizing events and possibly build a bigger shopping center the city could become more interesting as a shopping destination. This thesis could be a support for Porvoo city if they in a near future make plans for developing Porvoo into a better shopping destination. The thesis could also be used as a base for further research on similar matters in Porvoo

Developing student teachers’ PCK for teaching technology with a sustainability edge in primary school

In Swedish primary schools, technology teaching may appear different depending on what educational setting the pupils meet. Many pupils experience the subject of technology as taking part in practical making-activities without recognizing the technological knowledge involved, and many teachers feel uncertain of what and how to teach technology, especially concerning sustainability. Thus, it is necessary to pinpoint these issues within teacher education. This paper presents the first iteration of a Design-Based Implementation Research (DBIR) study on a teaching module that provides student teachers with theoretical and practical knowledge in technology education. The purpose of the study is to capture and understand how student teachers transform acquired knowledge and skills into Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) for teaching technology in primary school. Special attention is on how student teachers evolve relations between technology education and sustainable development. The study is designed and implemented in line with DBIR based on principles of collaboration and has strong connections between practice and theory (Fishman & Penuel, 2018). The participating researchers, also the teacher educators, have together with teachers at a municipal technological resource facility jointly identified underlying premises such as policy document statements; topics and content of value for all participants; potential participating schools; and reviews of previous research. The study includes 12 student teachers enrolled in a science and technology course. Data is collected in several steps including student teachers’ written individual reflections, their project assignments, their lesson plans, and focus group interviews. Based on qualitative content analysis, components of PCK are traced to elucidate the transformation of student teachers’ PCK for teaching technology with a sustainability edge. The results contribute to knowledge of what efforts, such as teaching module design features and connections to sustainability, should be made to develop student teachers’ PCK for teaching technology in primary school

Voters dislike disproportionality in electoral systems - even when it benefits the party they support

Taking advantage of a uniquely designed survey experiment, Carolina Plescia, André Blais, and John Högström investigate the effect of proportionality on voter support for voting rules in four countries, namely Austria, the UK, Ireland and Sweden. They find that voters for both small and large parties dislike disproportionality in electoral systems, with little cross-country variation

The Challenges of Social Infrastructure for Urban Planning

This editorial addresses social infrastructure in relation to urban planning and localisation, drawing together the themes in this thematic issue on “Localizing Social Infrastructures: Welfare, Equity, and Community.” Having contextualised social infrastructure, we present each of the 12 contributions by theme: (a) the social consequences of the localisation of social infrastructure for individuals, (b) the preconditions for localising social infrastructure in the urban landscape, and (c) the social consequences for the long-term social sustainability of the wider community. We conclude with the openings for future research, such as the need to continue researching localisation (for example, the ways localisations of social infrastructure support, maintain, or hinder inclusion and community-building, and which benefits would come out of using localisation as a strategic planning tool); second, funding (the funding of non-commercial social infrastructure and who would take on the responsibility); and third, situated knowledge (the knowledge needed by planners, architects, social service officials, decision makers, and the like to address and safeguard the importance of social infrastructure in urban development and regeneration processes)

“A source of empowerment and well-being”: Experiences of a dance and yoga intervention for young girls with functional abdominal pain disorders

Background: Functional abdominal pain disorders are common among children and adolescents worldwide and effective treatments are needed to alleviate suffering for these children and their families. This study aimed to explore the experience of participating in a combined dance and yoga intervention from the perspectives of girls aged 9–13 years with functional abdominal pain disorders. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial called Just in TIME (Try, Identify, Move and Enjoy) recruited 121 girls aged 9–13 years with functional abdominal pain disorders. The eight-month intervention combined dance and yoga twice a week, focusing on enjoyment, socialization and playful creativity in an undemanding and non-judgemental environment. The intervention group comprised 64 girls, of whom 25 were purposefully selected for this qualitative interview study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach. Results: The girls\u27 experiences of the Just in TIME intervention can be described as “A source of empowerment and well-being which facilitated personal growth and new ways of engaging in life”. The main category was derived from six generic categories: “A sense of belonging”, “Joy and emotional expression through movement”, “Relief from pain”, “More self-confident”, “More active in daily life” and “A sense of calm.” Conclusions: Regular participation in an eight-month intervention with combined dance and yoga in a supportive and non-judgemental atmosphere can ease pain and strengthen inner resources, resulting in empowerment, well-being and a more active life for girls with functional abdominal pain disorders. Trial registration: The Just in TIME study is available online at clinicaltrials.gov, ID: NCT02920268

Här ligger ett bruk begravet - Om den dolda agendan bakom bruksandans konstruktion

When it comes to the identity of place and growth, decision makers, media and people every so often refer to the vague concept of spirit. While some cities, regions and communities are praised for their entrepreneurial and innovative spirits, others are disparaged. The latter seems to be especially true for industrial communities. From a social constructivist perspective, the industrial community spirit is reproduced on different levels of society. This study focuses on how the spirit is described and recreated in statistics, research and above all media. The methods used are content analysis and ideology critique, with an emphasis on whether the description of the spirit has been positive or negative in Swedish press since the industrial crisis in the 1970s. The results show that the negative narratives outnumber the positive and that the spirit is most commonly described in terms of loyalty, responsibility, fellowship and hierarchy, as well as being inhibited and narrow-minded. In relation to theories of growth, the industrial community spirit can, at least from a liberal point of view, be taken as a negative social capital

Efficacy and predictors of outcome in parent training interventions for children with conduct problems

Aggressive and disruptive behaviors in childhood are one of the most common reasons for referral to child psychiatric clinics and are predictive of a range of negative health outcomes later in life. The present thesis comprises four studies of parent training (PT) interventions targeting conduct problems (CP) in children aged 3 to 12. The main objectives were to evaluate issues pertaining to short- and long-term effects, dissemination modalities (Internet-based and face-to-face delivery) and predictors of change. Study I was a randomized controlled trial including parents of 104 children who were allocated to either an Internet-based PT program or a waitlist condition. At post-test, intervention families had improved significantly in parent-reported child CP and parenting practices, compared with waitlist families. Between-group effects sizes were in the moderate range for CP reductions, i.e., similar to effects commonly reported in meta-analyses of face-to-face PT programs. Study II concerned prediction of outcome for intervention families in the study-I sample. Results showed that children with elevated levels of callous-unemotional (CU) traits benefitted less from the Internet-based PT program, compared with low-CU children, despite the fact that parents of high-CU children reported increased use of positive/praiseful parenting, as well as decreased use of harsh parenting, following participation in the Internet-based PT program. Study III employed an 18-month follow-up of intervention families (from the study-I sample) showing further improvements of child CP and mostly maintenance of treatment gains in other domains (e.g., hyperactivity and prosocial behaviors). Within the same study, associations between homework compliance and outcomes were investigated. Results indicated that higher parental engagement in homework tasks related to conflict management (ignoring misbehavior and time out) was associated with greater reductions of child CP, compared to less engagement in homework assignments. Study IV compared the effectiveness of four group-based PT programs (Comet, Incredible years, Cope and Connect), including behavioral as well as non-behavioral interventions, at a 2-year follow-up. Participants were parents of 749 children who had been randomly allocated to one of the PT programs. At follow-up, children in all four conditions had improved to a similar extent with regard to child CP, hyperactivity and inattention problems, when controlling for baseline severity and age differences. A comparison of change rates, from baseline to the 2-year follow-up indicated that children in behavioral programs were reported to have more rapid reductions of problems during the course of the intervention, compared with children in the non-behavioral program. During the 2-year follow-up period, however, participants in behavioral programs were mostly characterized by maintenance of previous treatment gains, whereas participants in the non-behavioral program continued to improve. In conclusion, the current thesis provides support for the short- and long-term efficacy of an Internet-based PT program, suggesting that online dissemination of interventions targeting child CP could be an alternative to face-to-face PT. The findings also highlights the predictive role of child CU traits in PT programs, emphasizing the need for different treatment approaches, for the subgroup of children who present with a combination of CP and CU traits. The current thesis also provides support for the long-term effectiveness of four group-based PT programs, when employed in Swedish routine care settings. This finding should be important for future guidelines and recommendations of PT-program implementation

Three-tiered support in the municipalities ECEC plans

Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää mitä tarkoittavat yleinen, tehostettu ja erityinen tuki varhaiskasvatuksessa. Lisäksi selvitin miten kunnat ovat muokanneet kolmiportaisen tuen mallia omissa varhaiskasvatussuunnitelmissaan ja minkälaisia eroja ja yhtäläisyyksiä suunnitelmista löytyy tuen eri tasoilta. Aikaisempia tutkimuksia kolmiportaisesta tuesta varhaiskasvatuksessa ei ole juurikaan tehty, joten tämä tutkimus tuo uutta tietoa kolmiportaisen tuen järjestämisestä varhaiskasvatuksessa. Tutkimuksen aihe on hyvin ajankohtainen. Varhaiskasvatuksen tuen mallin kehittäminen on juuri aloitettu, joten tietoa tuen tämänhetkisestä toteuttamisesta tarvitaan, jotta tuki voidaan suunnitella toimivaksi varhaiskasvatukseen. Tämä tutkimus on kvalitatiivinen ja sen aineistona käytettiin internetistä löytyviä kuntien varhaiskasvatussuunnitelmia, joihin kolmiportainen tuki oli kirjattu tai joissa oli eriteltynä yleinen, tehostettu ja erityinen tuki. Tutkimuksessa oli mukana kymmenen eri kokoista kuntaa eri puolilta Suomea. Aineisto analysoitiin käyttäen sisällönanalyysia ja analyyttinen ote oli abduktiivinen. Aineiston analyysin apuna käytettiin Atlas- ohjelmaa, jonka avulla aineistoa koodattiin ja luokiteltiin. Tutkimustulokset osoittivat, että kunnat olivat muokanneet kolmiportaisen tuen mallia, mutta suunnitelmissa oli nähtävissä myös suurta yhtenäisyyttä. Kunnat olivat määritelleet tuen tasot hyvin samansuuntaisesti ja eniten eroja löytyi erityisen tuen määritelmistä. Kuntien suunnitelmista oli löydettävissä niin eroja kuin yhtäläisyyksiä tuen eri tasoilta. Eroja kuntien väliltä löytyi tehostetun ja erityisen tuen käytännöistä. Yleisen tuen kohdalla erot olivat hyvin pieniä. Tehostetun tuen osalta eroja löytyi pääasiassa vain tuen kirjaamiskäytännöistä. Erityisen tuen osalta eroja löytyi tuen kirjaamiskäytännöistä, tuen saamisen kriteereistä, erityisen tuen päätöksen tekemisestä ja tuen järjestämisympäristöstä. Tämän tutkimuksen perusteella näyttää siltä, että kolmiportaisen tuen toteuttaminen varhaiskasvatuksessa vaihtelee erityisesti erityisen tuen osalta. Kunnat ovat todennäköisesti ottaneet mallia esi- ja/tai perusopetuksen kolmiportaisen tuen malleista ja tämä näkyy yhtenäisyytenä yleisen ja tehostetun tuen tasoilla. Kuntien väliset erot erityisen tuen tasolla aiheuttavat eriarvoisuutta tuen saamisessa. Tuen osalta tarvitaan tarkemmat kirjaukset varhaiskasvatuslakiin ja varhaiskasvatussuunnitelman perusteisiin, jotta tuki järjestyisi tasavertaisesti koko maassa. Erityisesti erityisen tuen osalta tarvitaan yhteinen linja siihen, milloin lapsi on oikeutettu saamaan erityistä tukea, mihin tuki kirjataan ja miten päätökset erityisestä tuesta tehdään.The aim of this study was to find out how the municipalities are applied the three-tiered support model in their own ECEC (early childhood education and care) plans and what means general, intensified and special support in ECEC. In addition, the aim was to find out if or not the municipalities provide support in the same way or if there are differences between them. Previous studies on three-tier support in early childhood education have not been conducted, so this study provides new insights into the provision of three-tier support in kindergartens. The subject of the study is very topical. Three-tier support is also likely to be introduced in early childhood education in the next few years, so knowledge of its implementation is needed to prepare fluent support for early childhood education. This study is qualitative and the data is used from the municipalities ECEC plans. These ECEC plans included three-tiered support, or detailed general, intensified, and special support. Ten municipalities of different sizes from all over Finland where examined in this study. The data was analyzed using content analysis and approached using an abductive approach. The data was analyzed using the Atlas software, which supported the coding and classification of the data. The results of the study showed that the municipalities had applied the three-tiered support model in different ways, but there was a high degree of consistency in general. The levels of support were set very similarly by the municipalities and most of the differences were found in the definitions of special support. There are differences as well as similarities between municipal plans at different levels of support. Differences between municipalities were found in the practice of intensified and special support. The differences in general support were minor. In the case of intensified support, differences were mainly found only in the recording of support. In the case of special support, differences were found in the recording for the support, the eligibility criteria, the decision on the special support and organizing environment. According to findings of this research, it appears that there are differences in the implementation of three-tier support in early childhood education, especially in special support. Municipalities may have followed the example on three-tier support models for pre- and / or basic education, and this is reflected in coherence between levels of general and intensified support. Differences between municipalities in the level of special support may lead to inequalities when accessing the support. More precise entries in the Early Childhood Education Act and in the grounds of the ECEC plan are needed to ensure that the support is distributed uniformly throughout the country. In particular, special support needs a common line on when a child is entitled to special support, where the support is recorded and who makes the decision on the special support

Rätt kropp för integration och arbete: En etnologisk studie av kurser för nyanlända och arbetssökande

The Correct Body for Integration and Work An ethnological study of courses for newly arrived and jobseekers   Karin Högström   Using ethnographic examples from Sweden this article focuses on a form of training through which people are taught new movements and postures to use during different processes; it also includes transmission of certain attitudes and ideals. These examples demonstrate how certain bodies, bodily attitudes and behaviors are perceived as problematic and are therefore considered in need of change. In the integration-project Right step (Rätt steg) in Stockholm, great emphasis is placed on bodily aspects. Newly arrived Somali refugees without previous education are assisted to practice “correct” behavior and posture during job interviews: stand and walk upright, make eye-contact and give a firm handshake. Participants are also encouraged to eat healthier and exercise more. Courses at the Swedish Public Employment Agency instruct jobseekers how to make a good impression on potential employers. Here, too, appropriate behavior and posture are addressed, and the correct way to shake hands and establish eye contact is taught. The teachers aim at changing not only the participants’ behavior, but also their manners and, to a certain extent, their attitudes. The goal is to purposefully adapt bodies and minds to the expectations and ideals of potential employers and Swedish society. Conforming to the behavior and norms provided by the teachers can seem to be the only viable option for the participants, given their subordinate position as immigrants or jobseekers. The course participants’ own ideals and physical attitudes are assigned low or almost no value. The asymmetry of power is also evident to those responsible and sometimes the participants protest against the teachers’ attempts to change them. However, learning the new norms and behaviors can provide benefits for the course participants. Mastering the codes can, to a certain extent, make it possible to choose how to use the new skills. Learning the correct behaviors can thus lead to a greater freedom of action, within very limited conditions