THE SOCIO‐ECONOMIC BACKGROUND OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN FINLAND SINCE THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1

The socio‐economic background of new university students in Finland is analyzed at three levels: first, the overall change in the socio‐economic background of Finnish students in higher education since the Second World War; then with regard to changes in two regions: southern and southwestern Finland; and finally, with regard to disciplines studied. New students in medicine, law, economics, and technology are consistently found to come from upper socio‐economic classes. In the humanities and in education, on the other hand, the distribution according to socio‐economic background corresponds better to that of the whole population. In the near future, Finnish higher education will face new challenges. From the viewpoint of the economy, the golden years are now over. At the same time, equality has fallen out of fashion.

     

Social Background and Education of Swedish and Finnish Speakers in Finland

This article analyses how social background affects completed upper secondary education and completed tertiary level education of Swedish speakers and Finnish speakers in Finland. Longitudinal register data are utilised. The results of logistic regression models indicate that the impact of socio‐economic and family background is strong and declines with education level. For upper secondary education, the impact of social background seems to have decreased over cohorts, which could be attributed to the education reform in the 1970s. The effects of background factors are very similar among Swedish speakers and Finnish speakers. In the Helsinki and Turku areas Swedish speakers have a higher upper secondary education propensity, whereas no such differences between language groups can be found in the other urban, nor in the rural, areas. Swedish speakers are more likely than Finnish speakers to have tertiary level education, which may be attributed to the relatively higher number of student places for Swedish speakers.     

School performance,school segregation,and stress-related symptoms: comparing Helsinki and Stockholm

This study investigates cross-cultural differences in the interrelation between school performance, school segregation, and stress-related health among 9th-grade students in the greater Stockholm and Helsinki areas. Contrary to the Swedish case, it has been proposed that school performance in Finland is largely independent of the specific school attended and of socioeconomic background. Finland also stands out as a contrast to Sweden considering their better performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) surveys. Our first 2 hypotheses explore whether there is a greater degree of school segregation in Stockholm than in Helsinki, and our second pair of hypotheses test whether Finland’s school success has come at a price in terms of increased student stress. Our results largely confirm that Stockholm schools are less “equal” and more segregated than those in Helsinki. We also find that school performance is more strongly linked to stress-related complaints among students in Helsinki than in Stockholm, especially among Finnish girls.     

Teacher Recruitment in Context: Differences between Danish and Finnish Beginning Teacher Education Students

Against the background of differing admission selectivity, structure, and status of teacher education in Denmark and Finland, we analyze the extent to which beginning teacher education students differ with respect to previous educational pathways, socio-demographic characteristics, academic self-concepts, and occupational motivations. In both Denmark and Finland, representative groups of first-year teacher education students and final-year upper-secondary students were surveyed. The collected data enabled us to characterize teacher education students in contrast to a baseline reference group of school students and to compare these differences across countries (difference-in-differences estimation). The results of our study indicate that Danish student teachers lag behind their Finnish peers in the valuation of their math skills. In addition, the average motivational profiles of Danish and Finnish teacher education students differ markedly. Implications of our findings are discussed.     

培养研究型教师——芬兰以研究为基础的教师教育探析

自2000年以来,芬兰学生连续四次在国际学生评估项目(PISA)中名列前茅,令世界瞩目。虽然芬兰学生出类拔萃的表现是诸多因素共同作用的结果,但以高品质的教师教育培养高素质的教师是促使其教育成功的关键。本文从芬兰以研究为基础教师教育实施的动因、涵义、理论模型及实施过程等层面,探讨了成就芬兰学生杰出表现背后的教师教育,对我国未来的教师教育的变革具有一定的启示与借鉴意义。     

Culture and sexuality in Finnish health education textbooks

In Finland, Young people’s sexuality education has not been examined from a multicultural perspective, with the exception of a few policy-oriented papers. This paper examines how cultural diversity is addressed in chapters on sexuality and sexuality education in Finnish health education textbooks. The analysis is based on material contained in textbooks used in grades 7–9 and upper secondary schools. Findings suggest that cultural diversity is included in textbooks in one of two ways: either to demonstrate the uniqueness of liberal, emancipated and progressive ‘Finnish’ sexuality; or as a way of distancing Finland and Finnish values from the rest of the world. In these textbooks, culture is understood as belonging to non-Finnish ‘others’ and a culture that itself as not being Finnish. This somewhat tendentious treatment of cultural diversity leaves teachers with limited tools with which to promote anti-discriminatory education. The textbooks also overlook the diverse backgrounds of young people growing up in Finland today.     

University Education in a Bilingual Country: The Case of Finland

Focusing on the situation of Åbo Akademi University, a Swedish-language higher education institution in bilingual Finland, this article discusses the problems of operating higher education institutions in two or three languages in a country in which 11 percent of the population are Swedish speakers and 89 percent are Finnish speakers, with many who are bilingual. Finland has two monolingual Swedish-language universities plus a monolingual School attached to the bilingual University of Helsinki. In addition to the latter, five other institutions, four of them highly specialized, are bilingual. The remaining institutions are monolingual, operating in Finnish. Most of the Finnish higher education institutions are increasingly offering programmes in English. Institutions offering courses in Swedish co-operate among themselves in the provision of full course programmes. The three universities in Turku, where Åbo Akademi University is located, co-operate in offering joint programmes requiring students to work in Swedish, Finnish, and English. Although multilingualism works well in Finland with a minimum of friction, the author concludes that a monolingual university, if affordable, is the best safeguard for minority linguistic rights.     

芬兰高等教育外部评估机构及 对我国的启示

芬兰的教育成就与其完善的质量评估保障体系密切相关。芬兰高等教育评估起步虽晚 但发展速度和成绩惊人。因此本文希望通过对芬兰高等教育外部评估现状、机构评估任务与特点的 阐述,探寻芬兰教育成功背后的经验,为构建我国高等教育外部评估机构提供宝贵的借鉴意义。     

Educational Research Policies in European Countries 1978-79: Finaland

The development of the Finnish educational system has now reached an important stage. The establishment of the comprehensive [polyvalent] school has been completed. The new school system has been extended to the whole of Finland for the school year 1977-1978. A law defining the modalities of the reform of secondary education in the second cycle and technical and vocational education was promulgated in 1978. The planning of the implementation of this reform of secondary education has begun and will terminate in the middle of 1980. The reform of post-secondary education will be fully achieved by the school year 1988-1989.     

The last 40 years in Finnish teacher education

This article sets out to identify and discuss the changes that have taken place in Finnish teacher education during the last 40 years (1974–2014). A brief history of teacher education in Finland is presented, followed by the goals and aims of current research-based teacher education in Finland. Finally, the major changes in Finnish teacher education during the last 40 years are identified and discussed along with challenges for the future. These include the fact that with each passing year teacher education in Finland has become increasingly research-based. The ethical role of the Finnish teacher has changed from being a religious and moral example to being a principled professional who needs moral competence in pedagogical encounters. Teachers also need to master the rapid developments in information and communication technology in order to function in the same learning environments as their students.     

Finnish Higher Education Expansion and Regional Policy

This paper concentrates on the expansion of Finnish higher education between the 1960s and 1970s, exposes its background in the light of the policy decisions that were made, compares the unique features of this expansion with those of certain other countries, discusses the impact of the controlled ‘top down’ governance of higher education policy, and describes the Finnish higher education system today. The paper argues that the driving forces behind universal mass higher education were, on the one hand, changes in the structure of society, and on the other hand, individual demand for education but also increased need for skills in production processes. This was the case in Finland as well but the Finnish higher education expansion was also characterised by regionalism. The actual location of universities in the era of expansion was a function of local political actors who were able to have an influence on ruling political parties.     

Teachers' attitudes and self-efficacy on implementing inclusive education in Japan and Finland: A comparative study using multi-group structural equation modelling

This study aims to explore relationships between teachers' attitudes, self-efficacy, and background variables regarding inclusive education by using a sample of 359 Japanese and 872 Finnish teachers. A multi-group structural equation modelling was conducted to find similarities and differences in how the background variables predict teachers' attitudes and self-efficacy. Experience in teaching students with disabilities had a positive effect on teachers' attitudes and self-efficacy in both countries. However, teachers' teaching career and the amount of inclusive education training affected them differently in Japan and Finland. The findings could be used to improve inclusive education training for pre- and in-service teachers.     

The (mis)use of the Finnish teacher education model: ‘policy-based evidence-making’?

Abstract

Background: International achievement studies such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) have an increasing influence on education policy worldwide. The use of such data can provide a basis for evidence-based policy-making to initiate educational reform. Finland, a high performer in PISA, is often cited as an example of both efficient and equitable education. Finland’s teachers and teacher education have not only garnered much attention for their role in the country’s PISA successes, but have also influenced education policy change in England.

Main argument: This article argues that the Finnish model of teacher education has been borrowed uncritically by UK policy-makers. Finnish and English philosophies of teacher preparation differ greatly, and the borrowing of the Finnish teacher education model does not fit within the teacher training viewpoint of England. The borrowed policies, thus, were decontextualised from the wider values and underpinnings of Finnish education. This piecemeal, ‘pick “n” mix’ approach to education policy reform ignores the fact that educational policies and ‘practices exist in ecological relationships with one another and in whole ecosystems of interrelated practices’. Thus, these borrowed teacher preparation policies will not necessarily lead to the outcomes outlined by policy-makers in the reforms.

Sources of evidence: Two teacher preparation reforms in England, the University Training Schools (outlined in the UK Government’s 2010 Schools White Paper, The Importance of Teaching) and the Master’s in Teaching and Learning (MTL), are used to illustrate the problematic nature of uncritical policy borrowing. This article juxtaposes these policies with the Finnish model of teacher education, a research-based programme where all candidates are required to complete a Master’s degree. The contradictions exposed from this analysis further highlight the divergent practices of teacher preparation in England and Finland, or the disparate ‘ecosystems’. Evidence of educational policy borrowing in other settings is also considered.

Conclusions: Both the MTL and the White Paper reforms overlook the ‘ecosystem’ surrounding Finnish teacher education. The school-based MTL contrasts with the research-based Finnish teachers’ MA. Similarly, the University Training Schools scheme, based on Finnish university-affiliated, teaching practice schools, contrasts heavily with the rest of the White Paper reforms, which contradict the philosophies and ethos behind Finnish teacher education by proposing the move of English teacher preparation away from the universities. The analysis highlights the uncritical eye through which politicians may view international survey results, looking for ‘quick fix’ options instead of utilising academic evidence for investigation on education and education reform.     

Towards community oriented curriculum in Finnish literacy education

Finland’s successful PISA literacy results reflect the foundation of the Finnish education system, which could be characterised by the words equality, equity and individual support. However, international interest in this PISA success has not focused on curricular aspects, and yet the core curriculum specifies teaching and learning practices in Finland. This article presents a study on the development of the Finnish National Core Curricula for Basic Education (NCC), published in 1985, 1994 and 2004. Based on inductive document analysis, the article discusses the changing conceptualisations of the curriculum designers and contributes to an understanding of the roles that the literacy core curriculum has in defining the purposes of literacy education, as well as the cross-curricular intentions of literacy education from the 1980s to the present day.     

Geographical mobility and children’s non-completion of upper secondary education in Finland and Germany: Do parental resources matter?

It is often assumed that families migrate to improve their economic and social prospects, and that these additional resources can benefit the whole family. However, existing research suggests that many children who have experienced (internal) migration underperform compared to their non-migrating peers in terms of different socioeconomic outcomes. In this article, we study the effects of geographical mobility on children’s non-completion of upper secondary education in Finland and Germany using Finnish register data and the German National Educational Panel Study. Our findings indicate that moving during childhood is associated with the risk of not attaining any secondary degree in both countries. In Finland, this is mostly explained by negative selection into moving (i.e. those who move are more likely to be disadvantaged). In Germany, however, an independent association between moving and educational attainment remains after taking into account various reasons why families move. Furthermore, for both Germany and Finland, any labour force status or earning gains parents make after a move do not seem to compensate for the negative influence of internal migration on children’s educational dropout. Overall, we conclude that geographically mobile children may be a vulnerable subgroup in the inter-generational transmission of inequality, therefore schools have an important role to play in integrating internal migrants—as well as international migrants—into the social networks of the schools they arrive in.     

Segregation,integration, inclusion—the ideology and reality in Finland

In this paper, we try to examine the classical sociological points of special education, especially the organizational form of special education, social background of students and the minority status of students. The material of the study was collected mostly during 2003 from one large city in Finland. This city has more than a 100‐year‐long tradition of organizing special education, and it is also still organized very traditionally, that is mainly in special schools. The oldest functioning special education school was founded in 1901. This form of organization based on special schools is no longer typical in Finland. Over 1000 questionnaires were sent to special education school teachers, and students and their parents, as well as to special needs assistants. The percentage of returned responses was between 70% and 80%. Local material is practically the only way to get information of these critical points because of the Act on the Protection of Privacy and the administrative orientation of state statistics. The results show that boys are strongly over‐represented in special education. Over three out of four of the students in classroom‐based special education are boys. According to our comparison, the children from immigrant families account for less than one out of ten students in general education, but in classroom‐based special education they represent nearly 14%, and in part‐time special education as much as one‐quarter (25%). The form of education differs also in regard to the social class of the parents. The parents have been divided into upper, middle and lower social classes according to their occupation. The proportion of upper‐class parents of the student group in general education (42%) is doubled when compared to the parents of both special education groups. The majority of the parents of severe disabled students support the idea of special education schools, but the majority of the parents from the other special education groups are in favour of education in the nearest school.     

How to make the neighbourhood school a school for all?

A new special education strategy was launched in Finland by the Ministry of Education in 2007. The new Basic Act was enacted in 2010 and the new national core curriculum concerning three‐tiered support for pupils in 2011. Since the 1990s, teachers across Finland have participated in developing Finnish basic education towards greater inclusion. The goal of this study was to enhance understanding of the implementation of the Finnish educational reforms. In this study, teachers' perceptions of good inclusive teaching arrangements were analysed and compared with the theories of inclusive education. There is still a lack of information available on the implementation of inclusive education practices, and especially about teachers' experiences of teaching in inclusive classrooms. In 2010, basic education teachers (N = 327) in Lapland, Finland, were asked to describe their experiences and perceptions of inclusive teaching arrangements. The results indicated that teaching practices have become more diverse, flexible and differentiated, enabling teaching of diverse groups. More and more teachers preferred teaching in teams and planning their work together, showing that changes in schools change the teacher's profession too. In this study, a framework for inclusive schools was constructed through implementing the indexes of inclusion created by Booth and Ainscow.     

National Evaluation of Bologna Implementation in Finland: Procedures and outcomes

Finland has performed, as one of the first Bologna countries, a national evaluation of the outcomes of the implementation of the Bologna process. The evaluation was organized by the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council and performed by an independent expert group during 2010. In general, the reform was conceived as a significant development project which was carried out in a well-organized manner in a relatively short period of time. A closer look at the details show, however, that many of the objectives of the reform were not achieved. This article describes the background and procedures of the evaluation and discusses the main results and conclusions for Finnish higher education policy. The reception, success and implications of the evaluation will also be discussed.

     

The Finnish way to the information society: Expanding engineer education

In a European context Finland is, measured in many dimensions, the most developed information society. In Finnish exports the share of the IT sector is onethird. In the 1990s the number of Internet-connected computers grew to be the highest in Europe and now half of the population uses a mobile phone. One of the most important factors behind this massive change is the activity and flexibility of engineer education. The number of student places in education in information and telecommunication (IT) technology was, in 1999, five times higher than in the middle of the decade. The success of the IT sector has assumed and implied the extension of higher education as a whole. At the end of the 20th century there were student places at universities and polytechnics for four-fifths of that age group in Finland. Engineering education also has an important role in ensuring the preconditions of the production of IT industry,and in generating the demand for IT equipment. In education Finns have become familiar with the IT equipment and technologies.