Rewards, changes and challenges in the role of primary headteachers/principals in England and Finland

Drawing on an analysis of education policies and qualitative research data, the impact of education reform on the roles of English primary headteachers and their Finnish counterparts is examined and compared. Global forces have resulted in similar policy trends in both countries but owing to contrasting cultural values and education traditions there are marked differences in the mechanisms for change at both national and local levels. However, irrespective of globalisation and differing national contexts, there were considerable similarities in the perspectives of headteachers and principals on the rewards and constraints of their role and the realities of leadership and management.

WCDMA radio network performance

Seppo Hämäläisen tutkimus käsittelee kolmannen sukupolven matkapuhelinjärjestelmän (WCDMA-järjestelmä) suorituskykyyn ja sen simulointiin liittyviä kysymyksiä. Tutkimuksen tuloksena kehitettyjä työkaluja voidaan käyttää kolmannen sukupolven matkapuhelinjärjestelmän radioverkon kapasiteetin tutkimiseen. Useita WCDMA- järjestelmän parametreja on muutettu tai sovittu kansainvälisessä 3GPP-standardointiprojektissa tämän tutkimuksen perusteella. Tällaisia parametreja ovat mm. liikkuvan asemantehovahvistimen lineaarisuusvaatimus, vastaanotinsuodattimen selektiivisyysvaatimus sekä liikkuvan aseman minimitehovaatimus. In this thesis the WCDMA radio network performance and the radio network performa…

Globalization and leadership and management: a comparative analysis of primary schools in England and Finland

This article analyses the impact of processes of globalization on both policy and practice in relation to primary school leadership and management in England and Finland. Data are drawn from case study research carried out from 1994–1996 in six schools in Finland and six schools in England and a follow‐up study on teacher professionalism (2001–2002) that involved 37 of the original participants being re‐interviewed. The article contributes to the ongoing debate concerning the extent to which global trends lead to homogeneity in educational systems or a ‘glocalized’ response. Such a glocalized response is derived not only from different cultural mediations at the national policy level but al…

Pressures, rewards and teacher retention: a comparative study of primary teaching in England and Finland

The article presents some findings from the York‐Jyvaskyla Teacher Professionalism project. The project was a follow‐up study to earlier case‐study research in six schools in Finland and six schools in England on the impact of educational reforms on teachers' work. Data were collected by re‐interviewing a sample of teachers from the original schools six years later. The views of English and Finnish teachers concerning the ways in which changes in practice, pay and working conditions affected their perception of teaching as a profession are contrasted. The crucial factors discouraging teachers from remaining in teaching were work intensification, low pay, deteriorating pupil behaviour and a …

A comparative analysis of primary teacher professionalism in England and Finland

Policy‐makers' conceptions of teacher professionalism currently differ markedly in England and Finland. In England they are shaped by agendas associated with the drive to raise standards and ‘commercialized professionalism’ whilst in Finland they are influenced by notions of ‘teacher empowerment’. This article analyses findings on the theme of teacher professionalism derived from re‐interviewing a sample of English and Finnish teachers in 2001 as a follow‐up to earlier ethnographic research in six schools in each country during 1994–1996. Issues of professionalism are addressed through three broad themes: the impact of curriculum and pedagogical reforms; working together to implement these …

Handover and Uplink Power Control Performance in the 3.84 Mcps TDD mode of UTRA Network

In this article we consider the performance of the 3.84 Mcps time-division duplex (TDD) mode of UTRA (Universal Terrestrial Radio Access) network. We emphasize two of the radio resource management algorithms, handover and uplink power control, whose role in the overall system performance is studied extensively. First, a handover algorithm used in WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) standard is considered in a TDD-mode operation. This gives rise to a careful setting of different handover parameters, and the evaluation of the effects to the system performance. Secondly, the specified uplink power control algorithm is considered. Since it is based on several user-made measurements w…

Towards proactive context-aware self-healing for 5G networks

In this paper, we suggest a new research direction and a future vision for Self-Healing (SH) in Self-Organizing Networks (SONs). The problem we wish to solve is that traditional SH solutions may not be sufficient for the future needs of cellular network management because of their reactive nature, i.e., they start recovering after detecting already occurred faults instead of preparing for possible future faults in a pre-emptive manner. The detection delays are especially problematic with regard to the zero latency requirements of 5G networks. To address this problem, existing SONs need to be upgraded from reactive to proactive response. One of the dimensions in SH research is to employ more…

Tavoitteista vuorovaikutukseen : perusopetuksen pedagogiikan arviointi

Professional learning communities and teacher well‐being? A comparative analysis of primary schools in England and Finland

The article is a comparative analysis of the policy and practice of professional learning communities (PLCs) in primary schools in England and Finland. The concept of PLC has become a globally fashionable one and has been explicitly advocated in policy documents in both countries. Drawing from a database of qualitative semi‐structured interviews with primary teachers, four key themes affecting their work and well‐being are identified: the primary school community; collaborative working; continuing professional development and trust and accountability. The realities of PLCs as experienced by primary teachers in each country are contrasted. Similarities in teachers’ responses were found, espe…

External Inspection or School Self‐evaluation? A Comparative Analysis of Policy and Practice in Primary Schools in England and Finland

The findings reported in this article form part of a wider comparative research project investigating the processes of curriculum change in primary schools in England and Finland during the period 1994-97. The two countries' policies on inspection and monitoring were moving in opposite directions. Finland has abandoned its national inspection system and is promoting school self-evaluation, whilst in England external accountability has been imposed on schools through Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) inspections. Using data from case studies of six schools in each country, it is argued that each country has something to learn from the practice of the other. In England, the impact of…