University of Lapland

About: University of Lapland is a education organization based out in Rovaniemi, Finland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Arctic & Indigenous. The organization has 665 authors who have published 1870 publications receiving 39129 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Rovaniemi & Lapin yliopisto.

Older people as users and non-users of a video conferencing service for promoting social connectedness and well-being – a case study from Finnish Lapland

Abstract: There is a need to better understand older people’s use, non-use, and learning of eHealth services in their everyday lives. This paper reports a case study of a phone and video conferencing service...

From universalism to selectivity? The background, discourses and ideas of recent early childhood education and care reforms in Finland

Abstract: Universal public childcare for children under seven has been central in Finland since the mid-1990s, capacitating both gender equality and children’s human capital and wellbeing. In 2015, as a further step in the development of this system, early learning and childhood pedagogy was strengthened through the early childhood education and care (ECEC) reform (statute 580/2015). Some months later, however, the right to full-day ECEC was restricted to children with employed parents (statute 108/2016). This paper discusses the objectives, framing and ideational drivers of these reforms on the basis of government bills and parliamentary debates. We argue that the development reflects a shift in emphasis from a universal and child-oriented social mobility ECEC rationale to a more austere rationale focussing on parents’ and notably mothers’ employment. We believe that the reforms will have negative effects on the quality of ECEC and increase inequalities in children’s human capital and learning.

‘Dig where you stand’: values-based co-creation through improvisation

Abstract: The concept of co-creation has been extensively discussed in tourism and hospitality research. Most studies focus mainly on exploring the involvement of customers in experience creation and the dev...

Learning and Use of eHealth Among Older Adults Living at Home in Rural and Nonrural Settings: Systematic Review.

Abstract: Background: Care policies emphasize deinstitutionalization and aging in place in response to demographic changes. Different eHealth technologies are one way to achieve this aim. However, there is a need to better understand older adults’ needs for eHealth services, and thus, these health solutions require further exploration. Objective: The purpose of this systematic literature review is to appraise, synthesize, and summarize the literature on older adults’ (aged ≥60 years) eHealth learning and use in real home settings, particularly in rural and remote areas, with a focus on the social and cultural context. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in January 2020 using 4 academic databases. The studies by means of qualitative thematic analysis to identify the barriers, enablers, and support practices involved in the domestication process were examined. In addition, we identified the various meanings attached to eHealth technologies for older adults living in rural and remote areas. Results: In total, 31 empirical studies published between 2010 and 2020 were included in this review. A total of 17 articles included participants from rural and remote areas. The most regularly reported barriers related to older adults’ learning to use and use of eHealth were health-related difficulties, such as cognitive impairment or impaired hearing. The most reported enabler was the support provided for older adults in learning and use of eHealth. Support mainly comprised older adults’ own digital competences, which were distributed with their social network. It was found that eHealth technology is needed for rural and remote areas to facilitate access and reduce logistical barriers to health care services. Conclusions: The literature review provided information and practical implications for designers, health care providers, and policy makers. On the basis of these findings, eHealth technologies should be easy to use, and adequate support should be provided to older adults for use.

Spatial distribution of dead wood and the occurrence of five saproxylic fungi in old-growth timberline spruce forests in northern Finland.

Abstract: Adequate understanding of the factors that determine the establishment and survival of dead-wood-dependent species in natural forests is a prerequisite to the successful maintenance of these species in managed forests. This study investigated the factors affecting the occurrence of five wood-inhabiting polypores in old-growth timberline spruce forests in northern Finland, including the substrate availability and the spatial arrangement of large-diameter logs. The volume of coarse woody debris (CWD) varied significantly between the sites (range 15–30 m3 ha−1), large-diameter logs comprising on average 35% of the total CWD volume. However, the within-site variation in CWD volume was 10–15 times larger than the between-site variation. The spatial distribution of large-diameter logs was aggregated or initially aggregated on four sites and random on one site, creating local patches of high CWD volume. An individual target species occurred on average on 8% of all large-diameter logs, and on 11% of opti...