Study Guide

Learning outcomes

The student is able to
- present justified suggestions for development in relation to working life
- conceptualize phenomena related to working life based on research results
- use proper research and development methods in order to produce new knowledge
- act in development projects cooperatively and in a responsible manner with working life and other partners
- evaluate their own activities and solutions critically
- understand concepts in an extensive scale and present topics logically and based on arguments

Teaching methods

Online (zoom /teams)
Digital learning environment (canvas)
The thesis seminars will be held in June at Tikkurila campus (depending on the Covid19 situation).

The thesis is expected to be clearly linked to development of working life. The goal may be, for example, to develop a service, action plans, or a new working culture. The thesis may be part of the university's research and development activities. The thesis would need to be related with the field of early childhood education and care.

You may do the thesis alone, with a pair or in a group of three students.
You may choose to do a more traditional theoretical thesis or a functional thesis with a theoretical framework. In functional thesis the report and the end product can be collected and shared in a blog or digital portfolio.

It would be important to find a partner kindergarten / day care office whose work you can support / develop by your thesis in cooperation with them. Accordingly, it would be good to find a topic which is relevant for developing early childhood education in practice. In your plan, take the possible Covid19 restrictions into account (you might not have an access to kindergartens).

The objectives of a thesis is that the student
- has extensive practical basic knowledge and skills and a theoretical foundation for working in expert tasks in their field
- is capable of following and promoting the development of their professional field
- is capable of developing their vocational skills and engaging in lifelong learning
- has adequate communication and linguistic skills for tasks in their field as well as international activities and cooperation.

Learning materials and recommended literature

In the thesis process you would need to learn to acquire, evaluate and analyze the appropriate knowledge from the perspective of your topic and implementing the thesis:

Research literature (research methods, tools)
Finnish early childhood education documents (Act on ECEC, VASU, Declaration of the child's rights, etc.)
Research literature and other materials related with your topic

You can start processing your study / topic by searching information by using Google search and Google Scholar https://scholar.google.com/. For example: "qualitative study (in early childhood education)", "quantitative study", "mixed methods", "your topic in early childhood education"

The supervisors will help you in this process.

Alternative completion methods of implementation

The progress of the thesis is based on your own committed, self-directive and responsible activity during the thesis process. You will be supported by the supervising teacher and your peer group as well as your working life partner. According to the principle of self-directiveness, you recognise your guidance needs and seek guidance. Responsible activity includes that you are willing and capable to benefit from guidance in the thesis process.

The thesis supervisor will monitor and support the progress of your thesis, and the development of an appropriate partnership with working life. Thesis supervision can be arranged, for example, in thesis workshops, in which supervisors, partners and other students support the progress of the theses.

Co-operation with working life and/or RDI

The thesis is expected to be clearly linked to development of working life. The goal may be, for example, to develop a service, action plans, or a new working culture. The thesis may be part of the university's research and development activities.

Important dates

The first meeting will be online (zoom) on Monday 24th January 2022 at 12.30–15.45. In that meeting we will discuss and agree the guidance process, meeting groups and times and deadlines. The goal is that the thesis will be ready in June 2022.

Forms of internationality

You can make a thesis where you e.g. compare early childhood practices between Finland and some other country.

Students workload

15 ECTS means about 405 hours workload for student.

January-February 2022
- finding a partner kindergarten / day care office & discussing with them about their needs
- choosing a topic and making a study plan
- getting to know the basic research methods and evaluating their suitability for your work
- applying for a research permit from the city / municipality / company
- reading earlier studies and theory about your theme

March 2022
- collecting data
- starting to write the theoretical part of your report

April 2022
- analyzing your data
- connecting the results with theory
- continuing with writing your report

May 2022
- finalysing your report

June 2022
- presenting and opposing your thesis in a seminar
- being an opponet for another student's thesis in a seminar
- getting feedback
- getting a final grade!

Content and scheduling

During the implementation stage, you must take part in the required seminar presentations, workshops and guidance meetings. You can also participate in joint events organised by other degree programmes or campuses. You must interact with both the working life representative and your thesis supervisor. This means, for example, that you must send your thesis supervisor drafts of your report for comments.

Grading scale

H-5

Evaluation methods and criteria

The student chooses the topic for their thesis. When choosing the topic, the student should familiarise themself with the assessment criteria. The dimensions assessed in the criteria include:

1. Workplace development
2. Innovativeness and creativity and
3. Research-oriented approach and implementation (see the section on Thesis assessment for details about the standards outlined in the criteria).

An authentic partnership with working life can be implemented, for example, by the student completing their thesis as part of a development project at their workplace or work placement. Your tutor teacher, thesis supervisors or any other teacher will provide help with finding a topic. Thesis topics can also be found from JobTeaser. You will get a thesis supervisor after finalising a topic analysis.

The assessment of the thesis
The completed thesis report will be assessed by two assessors, of which one can be a person not involved in the guidance process, such as the reviewer of the language and style used in the report. The assessors write a joint statement, which will be signed by both.

If the thesis has been completed as a joint effort by two or more students, each student will be assessed separately. If the student is not satisfied with the assessment of the final thesis report, they have the right to appeal to the Examination Committee. The principles of assessment must primarily be discussed with the assessors in the assessment discussions.

Levels and dimensions of assessment will be presented more closely during the first meeting.