HyMy project

The research project aims to find out how the well-being of ECEC staff and the workplace climate are reflected in the quality of staff-children interaction. The topic is timely, as the Finnish early childhood education sector is facing challenges such as employee turnover, workload, efficiency demands, and low wages, which further affect the quality of ECEC provided by staff. There is much research on work-related well-being in the education sector. However, little research exists in the context of ECEC, especially covering the well-being of the whole community, including both children and staff. Hence, it is essential to examine work-related well-being as a broad and systemic phenomenon.

This project will explore different profiles of interaction quality and the culture of interaction within the work community to understand how a culture of compassion is constructed. The aim is to model concrete actions and good practices that support a thriving community of adults and children.

The research data will be collected from public and private ECEC and groups of children aged 0-6 years. The data for the research project consists of three different sets of data, which complement each other and contribute to our understanding of the connections between the well-being of

ECEC staff, the culture of compassion, and the quality of interaction in child groups. First, data on staff-child interaction will be collected using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) observation method. Second, data will be collected using the method of empathy-based stories (MEBS), which will describe the perceptions of staff and leaders on the well-being of the ECEC sector, and the interactional climate in the community. Thirdly, observational data will be collected using shadowing as a research strategy to explore the phenomenon of compassion culture. The observational data will be complemented by interviews based on self-reflection on staff activities. In addition, data is also collected through a survey on well-being at work and interaction. The data will be analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis.

The results will be used to model concrete actions and good practices that support a thriving community of adults and children. The project will produce knowledge about the structures and practices needed to ensure that compassion and compassionate ways of relating to others are present in the daily life of ECEC centre. This objective has a wider societal relevance, as we live in a time of global challenges where the human capacity for compassion is essential to address these challenges. The research and development project will be successful if the participating ECEC centres are able to reflect on the positive aspects of interaction in everyday situations, and if compassion becomes a part of the daily life of the centres’ community and a common and shared set of values.

The research team:
Principal investigator, Associate Professor Mari Saha
Senior research fellow, Adjunct Professor Jenni Salminen (University of Jyväskylä)
PhD researcher (Msc.) Linda Nurhonen
PhD researcher (Msc.) Sivi Harkoma.