An academic perspective: Turku & Tallinn research groups

1. Perceptions and experiences of well-being of children and youth and what can we do in schools to promote it? An academic perspective: Turku & Tallinn research groups

2. FOLLOW-UP AND EVALUATION STUDY AS A PART OF SAS PROJECT • The purpose of our research work is to • produce information about the SAS process, its results and effects. • Produce information that can be used for the development of the project. • We have research groups both in Turku and in Tallinn. We are to co-operate with each other, in order to be able to compare Finnish and Estonian school-life and school cultures. • Our presentation today consists of: • Introductions to the research plans and interests of both research groups. • The plans and visions about our co-operation. You are all welcome to give us comments or ask questions!

3. SAS RESEARCH GROUPUniversity of Turku Our SAS research consists of following sub-studies: • School cultures in Turku and Tallinn • Active and safe life as pupils’ experience 3. Teachers opinions about the school culture and changes in it

4. 1. SCHOOL CULTURES IN TURKU AND TALLINN • The purpose is to analyse and compare school-life in the two cities and to find out the similarities and differences in them. • The main approaches are • The explicit norms and values in the curriculum documents of the state, city and schools (document analysis) • How the explicit norms and values are related to school reality or everyday life in schools

5. 2. ACTIVE AND SAFE LIFE AS PUPILS’ EXPERIENCE • This part of the study is focused on the everyday life of the pupils. Target groups are 11-12 and 13-14 year old students. • Data is gathered with multiple methods (survey questionnaires, written open-ended assignments). The results are to be compared with our Tallinn parnter. • The main approaches are • The pupils’ way of life: activities during school days and after it • School community and surroundings in pupils’ eyes: experiences of safety, school and class atmosphere, opportunities and willingness to participate and have an influence on common affairs in shcool.

6. 3. TEACHERS OPINIONS ABOUT THE SCHOOL CULTURE AND THE CHANGES IN IT • This part of the study is directed to teachers and principals who participate in the SAS project. Its purpose is to examine the effects of the project in the practical work in schools. •  One part of its data will be collected in this seminar. We’re interested in how You see the goals of SAS project in the everyday life of your school. • We’d like to know: • What kinds of things are done in your school to promote pupils’ well-being? • Is there a person in charge or a team working on pupils’ well-being in your school?

7. WHAT DO WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT WELL-BEING IN SCHOOLS? • Schoolwell-beingconsists of (Konu 2002): • Schoolenvironment • Schoolyard and surroundings as a place for activities • Equipment for activities, after-schoolleisureclubs • Social relationswithinschoolcommunity • Friends, school and classclimate, togetherness • Teacher-studentrelations • Chances to self-fulfillment • Activities • Feeling of competence • Health • Pupils’ homes and otherrelations outside school

8. WHAT KINDS OF THINGS ABOUT KIDS’ LIFESTYLES ARE CONNECTED WITH SCHOOL WELL-BEING?(Korppas, M., Asanti, R., Junttila, N., Koivusilta, L., Koski, P., Virta, A. & Oittinen, A. 2009.) + Participating in regularly organised free-time activities + Having close friends in the same class + Having a positive conception about own school success • Spending ’screen time’ many hours a day (TV, computer, video games) • Being home alone many hours a day • Not having hobbies • Social and emotional loneliness

9. WHAT MAKES AN ACTIVE AND A SAFE BREAK TIME IN PUPILS’ EYES (and whathindersit)? ACTIVE BREAK • ”Lauri went to askhisfriends to play ’kirkonrotta’. Lauri was the firstone to seek the others. He caughteveryone.” • ”Laura wassittingbyherself. Twoothergirlssawher. Theycame to askif Laura wanted to play too. Laura wasveryhappy to havefriends.” INACTIVE BREAK • ”During the breaktime Laura has just beensittingbyherself and watching the others play.” • ”Lauri sawhisclassmates play football. He went to join them, buttheytook the ball and ranawayshouting: Help, Lauri is coming! Theyknew Lauri wasslower." SAFE BREAK • ”Laura saw a littlegirlfall on the ground. Shewent to the breaksupervisor and toldaboutwhathappened. The littlegirlwastaken to the schoolnurse.” • ”Lauri feelssafebecause he wasaccepted to join the others play, no onewasfighting and therewas a teachersupervising the break.” UNSAFE BREAK • ”Laura feltscaredaboutbreaksbecauseshewasthreatened and bullied. Shethoughtshehad to bequietaboutitbecauseifshetoldsomeone, itwouldgetworse.” • ”Laura sawtwo big boysbully a littleboy. Shefeltsad. Shecouldn’ttell the teachers, becauseif the boysfound out, theymightstart to bullyhertoo.”

10. WHAT COULD BE DONE IN SCHOOLS DO TO PROMOTE PUPILS’ WELL-BEING? (Korppas, M., Asanti, R., Junttila, N., Koivusilta, L., Koski, P., Virta, A. & Oittinen, A. 2009.) • To increase the after-school leisure activities (especially for those who are least active in their leisure time). • Co-operate with childrens’ homes to minimize the time spent watching TV, surfing on the Internet, playing video games. (It’s connected with several negative experiences about school climate and social relations.) • To give each child possibilities to have experiences about succeeding and seeing themselves positively. • To develop break times so that everyone could be physically or/and socially active and not excluded from the peer group. • Support feeling of togetherness and co-operation inside class communities. Special attention should be given to those who don’t seem to have close friends in the class. • Give children opportunities to plan and organise events together.

11. School cultures in Tallinn Schools Study 1 • Was carried out: from May to August 2010 • Purposes:- The main purpose was to gather information about school values (what are the main values of each school) and main activities of each school to bring the values to life, also to get information about the main strengths and weaknesses concerning the values.- Our purpose was also to get supportive information for carrying out the main surveys (about the main purposes and expectations that schools have stated concerning the project and also about the possibilities for online answering etc). • Based on the results: • We have composed the main value-survey • We have started to compare school values with state and city values

12. Some results • Values that describe our schools the most: - Child- centeredness • Professionality • Values that describe our schools least: • Safety • Traditions • What is the value we miss the most: - Cooperation

13. School cultures in Tallinn schools Study 2 • Will be carried out: at the beginning of December • Main purposes • To gather information about how state and city values are perceived at schools • To gather information how the main values that schools have brought out in the pre-research are related to the reality or everyday life in schools • Main structure - Integrating students to the society/ community - Values at daily school life - Students’ basic values + Value survey among children (combined with the main questionnaire) Interviews at school • Based to the results: • We will analyze school, city and state values – how they match or doesn´t match • We will compare the results with the results of schools in Turku • We will try to find and share the best practices

14. Pupils’ life-style and well-being in Tallinn1. Breaktime study • The aim of the study was to get the overview of positive and negative aspects of breaktimes via students’ eyes. • Solution-centented focus: to encourage kids to make their own suggestions how to reach more enjoyable breaktimes. • Almost all SAS project schools participated. THANK YOU  !

15. I BREAKTIME What are the things you don’t you like at breaktimes? I am: boy / girl I study in ……… class 1 2 Imagine your IDEAL SCHOOL! If it was in your hands, how could a enoyable breaktime look like? Make your suggestions! What would you do? For example, what, where, and how would you set it out? What do you like to do at breaktimes during your schoolday? Noise Talk to friends Long lines at lunchbreaks Listen to music Too short breaks Joke Possibilities for relax and privacy (e.g., sofas in hallways) Longer lunchbreak Possibility to spend time outside

16. Pupils’ life-style and well-being in Tallinn2. Main survey • Focused on kids’ lifestyle activeness and feel of safety in multiple meanings • Target groups: 5-6 and 8-9 grades • Online questionnaire will be gathered from late Nov until early Dec. • What is similar with Turku’s study? • Kids’ daily activity (what, how often, where) • Emotional and social well-being (self-esteem, social competence, lonelyness, student-teacher relationship) • Importance and manifestations of basic values from the kids’ point of view • What is different from Turku’s study? • Detailed focus on factors related to feel of safety and risky behaviour (bullying, unemotional traits) • Focus on school motivation (likes and dislikes)

17. Feedback survey of the SAS project in Tallinn schools • We have asked about expectations and purposes of the project: • in the first value study and • during the meeting with project team members held in September. • Final feedback survey will be carried out in autumn 2011 among project team members.