Lukustrategioiden tunnistaminen lukutaidon vahvistajana

Learning strategies explaining differences in reading proficiency. Findings of Nordic and Baltic countries in PISA 2009

Abstract There are useful metacognitive learning strategies improving learning results significantly. Students can be trained to use them to achieve a higher level of proficiency in different academic domains, including reading. The current study was aimed to discover how student awareness and use of learning strategies explains differences in reading literacy test results, using PISA (the Program for International Student Assessment) 2009 data of three Nordic and three Baltic countries. The student level differences appeared partly due to the differences between schools, in the Baltic countries more than in the Nordic countries, which is considered a concern in the countries stating the eq…

Problematising the equivalence of the test results of performance-based critical thinking tests for undergraduate students

Abstract This article compares the test results of two different performance-based assessments of critical thinking: a constructed-response task from the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) and a multiple-choice questionnaire (MCQ). These tests ostensibly measure the same critical thinking skills, such as analysing, interpreting and evaluating information and problem solving. The study utilised a mixed-method approach to explore the differences in students’ ( n  = 330) test scores. The results showed that the correspondence between the CLA and the MCQ was fully comparable in 45.5% of the students’ test performances. Ten percent of the students had completely opposite test results. Explanat…

The role of informal learning in adults' literacy proficiency

This study used the Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) dataset to examine informal literacy learning’s effects on adults’ literacy proficiency. Also, the factors associated with informal literacy learning at and outside of work were studied. The study participants were Nordic adults aged 35–65 years. The statistical method was regression analysis, and the results indicate that informal literacy activities at work are associated primarily with occupation, and informal literacy activities outside of work with education, parents’ education and gender. Initial education, occupation, language background and age exerted the strongest estimated associations with r…

Economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) and mathematics performance of immigrant students in the Finnish metropolitan area in PISA 2012

Associations between teacher quality, instructional quality and student reading outcomes in Nordic PIRLS 2016 data

AbstractProgress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) focuses on the reading proficiency of students mostly in the fourth year of schooling. A wide selection of studies has shown that family background and early literacy activities at home have substantial associations with student achievement in reading literacy. However, research focusing on teacher qualities and teaching processes is inadequate. In this study, we focus on associations of teacher quality (formal qualifications and professional identity) and instructional quality (classroom management, cognitive activation and teacher support) with cognitive and affective-motivational student outcomes (variables Reading Achievem…

Kunnia työn sankareille! : arviointitutkimusten arki on arkista

Kansainvälisten arviointitutkimusten menestyksellinen toteuttaminen edellyttää ammattitaitoa niin tutkimuksen suunnittelussa, valmistelussa kuin kerätyn aineiston käsittelyssä. Joskus – varsinkin kun PISA-tulokset julkistetaan – kuitenkin tuntuu, että suuren työn tuloksena saadaan vain hetken kestäviä mediatapahtumia, jotka keskittyvät Suomen kansainvälisen rankingin ympärille. Mediatapahtumien keskipisteenä ovat lähinnä raportin laatineet tutkijat ja heidän työtään kommentoivat poliitikot. Harva tietää, millaisen ponnistelun tuloksena tällaiset tutkimukset syntyvät. Tämä artikkeli valottaa sitä arkista tiimityötä, jota tutkimusten toteutuminen edellyttää. nonPeerReviewed

Understanding adults’ strong problem-solving skills based on PIAAC

Purpose Research has shown that the problem-solving skills of adults with a vocational education and training (VET) background in technology-rich environments (TREs) are often inadequate. However, some adults with a VET background do have sound problem-solving skills. The present study aims to provide insight into the socio-demographic, work-related and everyday life factors that are associated with a strong problem-solving performance. Design/methodology/approach The study builds on large-scale data of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) and gives insight into VET adults (N = 12,929) with strong problem-solving skills in 11 European countries. Find…

Skills Behind the Robotics : How to Re-educate Workers for the Future

The aim of this study is to respond to the educational needs of the future, considering automation and robotics. It is inevitable that automation and robotics are changing our lives and they create challenges for the future work life and education. In this study, we investigate what is the educational background of the unemployed people who are in danger of being replaced by automation and what is their educational resilience for adapting work life changes. The data of this study consist of the latest PIAAC data (The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies). Based on the research we develop a model for re-educating the people who have lost their jobs. peerReviewed

The benefits of interpopulation hybridization diminish with increasing divergence of small populations.

Interpopulation hybridization can increase the viability of small populations suffering from inbreeding and genetic drift, but it can also result in outbreeding depression. The outcome of hybridization can depend on various factors, including the level of genetic divergence between the populations, and the number of source populations. Furthermore, the effects of hybridization can change between generations following the hybridization. We studied the effects of population divergence (low vs. high level of divergence) and the number of source populations (two vs. four source populations) on the viability of hybrid populations using experimental Drosophila littoralis populations. Population v…

Curvilinear interspecific density-range size relationship in small mammals in Finland

ABSTRACTAim Macroecological patterns have mainly been depicted as atemporal, withexisting research covering only short time periods. One fundamental pattern inmacroecology is the interspecific relationship between local abundance andregional range size, which is generally considered to be positively linear. Here,we examine structural details of the relationship between abundance and rangesize in cyclic populations of small mammals and its long-term temporal varia-tion.Location Finland.Methods We analysed 39 years of trapping data of Rodentia and Soricomor-pha collected in field and forest habitats across Finland. Abundance was mea-sured as the mean population density of individuals, and range…

What makes the difference : PIAAC as a resource for understanding the problem-solving skills of Europe's higher-education adults

The ever-evolving technological landscape is challenging adults' problem-solving skills. The central goal of higher education (HE) is to guarantee a high level of know-how, which is in line with the changing demands of technology at work and in everyday life. This study builds on European data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) to understand adults' (N = 53,407) skills for solving problems in technology-rich environments. The study provides insight into the socio-demographic, work-related, and everyday factors that are associated with a strong and a weak problem-solving performance. The results indicate that HE adults stand out from adults with…

How to measure students’ innovation competences in higher education : Evaluation of an assessment tool in authentic learning environments

Abstract In all sectors of the economy, the importance of innovation is underlined. Although education plays a central role in the development of human innovation skills, several studies suggest that higher education institutions cannot fulfill these demands. In such, there is a need to update pedagogical practices and develop assessment tools to measure and develop a person’s innovation capacity. The aim of this study is to test and evaluate the functioning of the earlier developed assessment tool to measure students’ innovation competences in the authentic learning environments of Finnish higher education institutions. The electronic self-assessment questionnaire was distributed to studen…

Opettaja äidinkielen ja kirjallisuuden oppitunneilla : pedagoginen toiminta eritasoisten lukijoiden arvioimana

Oppilaiden urasuunnittelutaitojen osaamisessa tapahtuneet muutokset 2012–2018

The effect of the cluster randomized HIPPA intervention on childcare children’s overall physical activity

Background The effect of the cluster randomized Home- and childcare-based Intervention to Promote Physical Activity (HIPPA) intervention on the everyday physical activity (PA) of children between the ages of 4 to 5 years was evaluated. Material/Methods Fourteen childcare centers with 102 children born in 2007 and their families participated in the study. HIPPA was implemented over a single preschool year in seven childcare centers while seven other centers continued their normal care (control group, CG). The PA levels of children were assessed by accelerometers six times every six months during two and a half years of research. Valid PA data were obtained from 69 children at baseline and an…

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When Investment in Basic Skills Gives Negative Returns

In recent years, the Norwegian government has invested heavily in improving basic skills in the adult population. Initiatives have included legislation, the introduction of work-based adult education programs, and reforms in schooling. In light of this investment, we explore trends in adult literacy and numeracy, by comparing data from two international surveys of adult skills, conducted in 2003 and 2012. Paradoxically, the proportion of low-performing adults appears to have increased, most significantly in the 16- to 24-year age group and in the foreign-born population. The profile of the lowest performing group has changed in the intervening years. These findings suggest that adult educa…

Drivers of job-related learning among low-educated employees in the Nordic countries

This study explored drivers of participation in job-related lifelong learning (LLL) among low-educated mature-aged employees and compared them across four Nordic countries. Workplaces can be low-threshold, effective arenas for development of their skills in work and learning. The paper builds on the Bounded Agency Model and theories of learning motivation, human capital, and workplace learning. We used data from the Survey of Adult Skills (Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies) by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The average participation rate was 36%. Results of the logistic regression analyses showed that income, skills use at work, sector…

Participation in job-related lifelong learning among well-educated employees in the Nordic countries

The purpose of this study was to explore participation in job-related lifelong learning (LLL) among well-educated mature workers and compare it across four Nordic countries. Although this group generally is very active in LLL, the centrality of knowledge work in society, rapid pace of skills-renewal and rising learning demands for all qualifications levels, necessitates a better understanding of the patterns and factors affecting their skill development. The paper builds on theories of learning motivation, human capital and workplace learning. Data from the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) by the OECD were used. In addition to high participation rates, systematic level differences in particip…