Search results for "Comparative Education"
showing 10 items of 81 documents
Finnish reform of the funding and provision of special education : the views of principals and municipal education administrators
2015
This study examines the current state of special education provision and resources in Finland after the extensive reform of the government transfer system and Basic Education Act implemented in 2010–2011. Data were collected from a survey of compulsory school principals and from interviews with the highest-ranking officials in municipal education administration. The results show that participants viewed the Basic Education Act as having a more significant impact on the provision of special education than the reform of the government transfer system. Partly due to the reforms, local authorities have targeted the resources of special education differently and used resources more effectively. …
The Influence of Instructional Practices on Reading Motivation in Finland
2018
Although the differences between individuals in language and literacy skills and motivation to read start before entering school, teachers and their instructional practices play an important role in the development of reading skills and the various aspects of motivation, especially children’s interest in reading. Interest in reading has been reported to contribute to the reading activity and to the amount of reading which, in turn, promote students’ reading performance. It has been assumed that children’s previous success with learning the basics of reading has provided them with positive feedback about the learning situation, thereby strengthening their interest in reading. Teachers and th…
Collaborativeness as the core of professional learning communities beyond culture and context : evidence from Canada, Finland, and Israel
2015
ABSTRACTProfessional learning communities (PLC) have been widely accepted as effective with respect to good atmosphere, adequate leadership practices, and functional working practices. However, the outcomes for school improvement depend on case-specific issues. To identify less culturally and contextually bound issues in 3 PLC settings in Canada, Finland, and Israel, we examined our cases through the notion of “collaborativeness”. It refers to a systematic and shared process consisting of efforts, ideas, and activities that aim at achieving synergy. By combining the 3 data sets and applying a special model, we were able to distinguish, through qualitative content analysis, ingredients of co…
Reading comprehension from grade 1 to 6 in two shallow orthographies: comparison of Estonian and Finnish students
2018
The aim was to examine reading comprehension among elementary school students in two shallow orthographies, Estonian and Finnish. Participants were 619 Estonian children (50% boys) and 292 Finnish children (52% boys) whose reading comprehension was assessed in first, second, third, and sixth grades. The results showed that reading comprehension among Estonian and Finnish children was at a similar level by the end of first grade but Finnish children started to have better performance from second grade onward. These findings suggest that the roots of Finnish students’ strong reading skills are nurtured from the very beginning of elementary school. The potential cross-country differences in re…
THE DEVELOPMENT OF ART EDUCATION IN LATVIA FROM 1890 TILL 1990
2012
Art education is a very important field, as it represents the ethical and esthetical needs of the society and reflects the politics and ideology of the age. The urgency of art education and cultural education is affirmed also by the fact that the year 2009 was announced as the year of innovations and creativity in Europe. It is necessary to research the possibilities the art education can offer to promote the creativity of young people and to improve the quality of art education. The overview of the history of art education gives us the possibility to find connections between different conditions as well as examples of the best practice. The development of art education is divided into thre…
“Yo acojo, tú agrupas, ella compensa”: Análisis comparado de la política de integración del alumnado inmigrante en tres Comunidades Autónomas
2015
With the passing of the la Ley Organica de Mejora de la Calidad Educativa [Reform Act of Improvement of Quality in Education] reemerges one of the timeliest educational issues: decision-making in the field of educational policy that takes care of immigrant students. The present moment is an excellent excuse for, from the perspective that Comparative Education offers, the revision of how the collective of immigrant children has been educated through three models of educational management represented by three Autonomous Communities: Valencia, Catalonia and Andalusia. The article focuses on the analysis of the measures taken in these three cases concerning the reception, the welcoming, and the…
The Right to Education and ICT during COVID-19: An International Perspective
2020
There is a lack of concluding evidence among epidemiologists and public health specialists about how school closures reduce the spread of COVID-19. Herein, we attend to the generalization of this action throughout the world, specifically in its quest to reduce mortality and avoid infections. Considering the impact on the right to education from a global perspective, this article discusses how COVID-19 has exacerbated inequalities and pre-existing problems in education systems around the world. Therefore, the institutional responses to guaranteeing remote continuity of the teaching&ndash
Identifying Themes for Research-based Development of Pedagogy and Guidance in Higher Education
2013
The high value accorded to the research-based development of education in higher education communities means that researchers in the field have an important role in determining the foci of such efforts. However, it is important to ask whether higher education research is providing answers that satisfy practical educational needs. In this study, themes in higher education research published in Finland during 2000–2008 were compared to those addressed in non-refereed writings published by higher education teachers and students. The thematic analyses, (n = 1,298) focusing on topics related to learning, studying, and their promotion revealed the need for a broader life-wide framework for develo…
Creating an image of people with disabilities in formal education. Analysis of the textbooks used in the chosen European countries
2016
Creating an image of people with disabilities in formal education is an important element of educating young people into a full and unbiased understanding of the needs and reality of these people. Consequently, it is an element of creating a social climate around people with disabilities and influencing state policy in this area. Therefore, I find it extremely important to analyse and compare ideas worked out in different countries in order to correctly assess our own situation and find inspiring and applicable solutions. In the text, I focused on one component of the system of formal education, i.e. selected textbooks used in Poland and Sweden in which I highlighted their disability-relate…
Institutional Autonomy and Academic Freedom in the Nordic Context — Similarities and Differences
2013
Owing to their common history, similarities in language and culture, long traditions in political collaboration and the shared Nordic societal model, an assumption is often made that the operational and regulatory context of universities is similar in the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. In this article, we examine the relationship between the Nordic higher education institutions and their specific governments. The interpretation of institutional autonomy and academic freedom in the Nordic countries is discussed with support from recently collected empirical data, Nordic university legislation and the topical research literature. We describe the differenc…