International Master’s Degree Students’ Well-being at a Finnish University During COVID-19

The rapid developments and consequences of the COVID-19 crisis for university students' well-being are presently being studied across the world. This study contributes to the growing discourse on university students' well-being by exploring changes in international Master's degree students' well-being in relation to the move to online teaching and learning at a Finnish university during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study draws on 37 answers to an open-ended question about remote teaching and learning at the end of a survey on university students' stress. The text data were analysed conducting a preliminary quantitative content analysis and a more detailed thematic analysis, from which two the…

Gender Equality or Primacy of the Mother? Ambivalent Descriptions of Good Parents

The ideology of gender equality is accepted as the norm in the Nordic countries. When asked to describe what they thought was required to be a good mother and a good father, Finnish informants (N = 387) showed uneasiness in describing good parents separately, however, often describing only a good mother. This article aims to explore the ambivalent stance toward gender equality reflected in these descriptions. The mother is seen as the model against which the father is compared. Moreover, the ambivalence noted could indicate a contradiction between how things are and how they should be. Ambivalence here is located between structural, sociological, and psychological levels, reflects the ambiv…

Sources of stress and scholarly identity: the case of international doctoral students of education in Finland

AbstractAlthough stressors and coping strategies have been examined in managing stress associated with doctoral education, stress continues to have a permeating and pernicious effect on doctoral students’ experience of their training and, by extension, their future participation in the academic community. International doctoral students have to not only effectively cope with tensions during their training and their socialization in their discipline but also address the values and expectations of higher education institutions in a foreign country. Considering the increase of international doctoral students in Finland, this study focuses on perceived sources of stress in their doctoral traini…

Rural Children’s Perceptions of Parental Involvement in Their Education in Pakistan

Drawing from focus group discussions, this study reports 40 school-aged children’s (12–14 years, boys and girls) perceptions of parental involvement in the context of a developing country with a collectivist culture. The results indicate that despite parental interference, adherence to local customs, poverty, and illiteracy, children felt encouraged by their parents through strategies that reinforced their motivation to continue their education. Extended families’ educated members can also compensate for parents being unable to support their children in learning. The study highlights the role of the socio-cultural context in understanding parental involvement. peerReviewed

Managing the gap – policy and practice of parents in child care and education

Kuka meillä kotona kasvatti?

`Children Need Their Parents More Than a Pizza in the Fridge!'

The aim of this study is to find constructions of parental responsibility by analysing letters sent by readers to a newspaper on the topic of parenting and parental responsibility. The study takes a methodological approach, focusing on the meanings of responsibility and looking at different portrayals of parenthood. Three dimensions of responsibility (beginning responsibility, diminished sense of responsibility and obligating responsibility) emerged from the analysis. These dimensions relate to different meanings attributed to parental responsibility, for instance, `responsibility for making choices'. Parenthood is variously portrayed along the three dimensions. Parental responsibility cre…

Cultural images of a good mother and a good father in three generations

Hyvän äidin mielikuvan hallitseva piirre on äidin rakkaus. Hyvän isän mielikuvan vastaava piirre on isän aika. Tämä selviää Satu Perälä-Littusen väitöskirjatutkimuksesta, jossa hän vertaili suomalaisten ja virolaisten mielikuvia hyvästä äidistä ja isästä. Lisäksi hän tutki sukupolven ja sukupuolen merkitystä mielikuviin.- Äidin rakkauteen liitetyt merkitykset ovat osittain ristiriitaisia. Rakkauden ajatellaan syntyvän itsestään ja olevan luonnollista. Äidin on kuitenkin kyettävä kontrolloimaan tunteitaan, jotta rakkautta voisi käyttää kasvatuksessa. Äidin rakkaus ja isän aika näyttävät molemmat olevan jollakin tavalla yleisuskomuksia. Hyvällä isällä on oltava aikaa, jotta hän voi luoda avoi…

Parental Involvement or Interference? : Rural Teachers’ Perceptions

This research explored rural state school teachers’ perceptions concerning parental involvement in children’s education in a developing country context. The data were collected through thematic interviews with teachers of public schools situated in the rural areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan. The study findings revealed teachers’ frustration and disappointment regarding parental involvement. Teachers believed that susceptible socioeconomic circumstances and adherence to local customs hindered many parents from participating in their children’s education. In line with this, teachers frequently held negative perceptions regarding children’s parents, and these perceptions have the po…

Finnish teacher-students’ views on home-school cooperation

This study focused on the views on home-school cooperation of teacher-students who are in the process of becoming professionals. The data were gathered from five focus-group interviews of 19 Finnish teacher-students. The data were analysed thematically. Better learning results were not the general aim of cooperation; instead, the aim was the child’s well-being. All parties benefited when cooperation functioned well. Yet, factors related to parents and teachers’ lack of time hinder cooperation. The views of home-school cooperation were a combination of the participants’ childhood memories, stories they had heard from their friends and colleagues and, less saliently, ideas originating from te…

Parental beliefs and their role in child-rearing

Beliefs have been a topic of considerable interest among researchers in various fields. In this article 71 articles reporting a study on parental beliefs and published in the course of fifteen years (1980–1995) are reviewed. After clarifying the term ‘belief’, the topics and the methodological solutions of the studies are discussed. Throughout the discussion the question of the origins of parental beliefs and the belief — behaviour dilemma are dealt with. Finally, the implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are presented.

Childcare and work : exploring the views of Finnish mothers and fathers

In this study, meanings given to childcare and work by parents were explored. The aim was to shed light on what factors parents consider when they decide who is going to stay at home. Four mothers and four fathers, all of whom had been both working and stay-at-home parents, were interviewed. The data were analyzed qualitatively. Parents believed in gender equality; however, the decision who stays at home was not based on gender. Cultural beliefs in the primacy of the mother could also be seen. Expectations of good mothering contradicted the ones related to the idea of a good working citizen causing mothers to feel guilty. The mothers said that staying at home was not something they needed t…

Responsibility in home-school relations : Finnish parents' views

Finnish parents' views on responsibility in the home–school relations were explored. Responsibility was here understood as responsibility over education and upbringing. The data consist of semi-structured interviews with 24 mothers and four fathers. In the home–school discourses, parents and teachers were often referred to as partners, and active parental involvement in school life was seen as a key to children's success. However, in some discourses teachers and parents were seen as polar opposites, e.g. teachers as experts — parents as laymen. Few references were made to children's responsibility.

The Beginning and End of Parental Responsibility — Finnish Parents’ Views

INTRODUCTIONParental responsibility is a topic much discussed in present-day society. In these discussions the concept of parental responsibility appears self-explanatory, and it is often seen as the common denominator in dealing with child behaviour and educational issues, particularly in problem-centred discussions. Generally, responsibility seems to be one of the key concepts in policy-making and public debate about the lives of children and parents (Such & Walker, 2004).A theoretical model of present-day life that deals with parenting but also relates to parental responsibility is the theory of individualization (Giddens 1991, 1992). Individualization is a term used by Beck and Beck-Ger…