Search results for "Estonian"

Perceived similarity between written Estonian and Finnish : Strings of letters or morphological units?

2017

The distance or similarity between two languages can be objective or actual, i.e. discoverable by the tools and methods of linguists, or perceived by users of the languages. In this article two methods, the Levenshtein Distance (LD), which purports to measure the objective distance, and the Index of Perceived Similarity (IPS), which quantifies language users’ perceptions, are compared. The data are the quantitative results of a test measuring conscious perceptions of similarity between Estonian and Finnish inflectional morphology by Finnish and Estonian native speakers (‘Finns’ and ‘Estonians’) with no knowledge of and exposure to the other (‘target’) language. The results show that Finns s…

Validating the early childhood classroom observation measure in first and third grade classrooms

2016

The present study reports on the psychometric properties of the Early Childhood Classroom Observation Measure (ECCOM) in Finnish and Estonian first and third grade classrooms. The observation data were collected from 91 first grade teachers and 70 third grade teachers. Teachers' curriculum goals, teaching experience and the classroom size were measured also. The results of confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence of the three-factor model (management, climate, and instruction) for each dimension—child-centred, teacher-directed, and child-dominated—in both grades. The reliability of the dimensions and sub-scales was good, and some evidence was also found for criterion validity. The fin…

Classroom management practices and their associations with children’s mathematics skills in two cultural groups

2014

The aim of the study was to examine the extent to which contextual factors predict children’s mathematics skills in different cognitive domains. The sample consisted of 1734 students from 26 Estonian- and 17 Russian-language schools in Estonia. Mathematics and non-verbal reasoning tests were carried out at the beginning of the third grade. In addition, teachers were asked about their classroom management practices. The results of multilevel modelling showed that applying supportive practices in the classroom contributes to higher achievement in mathematics. Teachers from Estonian- and Russian-language schools were also found to differ with regard to their management practices, and these pra…

Functions of adolescent drinking in Finland and the Soviet Union

1987

The present study was conducted in Finland and the USSR (Estonia) with two birth cohorts (14 and 17 years old) and their parents. The subjects, 504 in Finland and 329 in Estonia, were drawn from urban and rural areas. 85% of the Estonian and 55% of the Finnish parents returned the questionnaire. The results supported the hypothesis that adolescent drinking is an age-related behaviour aimed at active coping efforts to adopt adult-like behaviour. In both countries abstinence decreased with age, and the use of alcohol was seen as behaviour which became acceptable at an older age than the age when the actual initiation occurred. However, the use of alcohol remained occasional through the ages o…

Representing the Other in European Media Discourses

2017

This book deals with the construction of the ‘other’ in European media at a time when the recently expanded EU is facing new political, economic and social challenges. The aim of the book is to document the diverse discursive forms of othering, ranging from differentiation to discrimination, that are directed against various ‘other Europeans’ in both institutionalized media and such non-elite semi-public contexts as discussion forums and citizen blogs. Drawing on data from British, Polish, French, Czech, Italian, Hungarian, Spanish and Estonian contexts, the individual papers investigate how various social groupings – regions, nations, ethnicities, communities, cultures – are discursively c…

Profiles of teaching practices and reading skills at the first and third grade in Finland and Estonia

2017

The Early Childhood Classroom Observation Measure was used to observe 91 first-grade and 70 third-grade teachers in Estonia and Finland. Using a person-oriented approach, four profiles of teaching practices were identified in grade 1: the child-centred style, teacher-directed style, child-dominated style and a mixture of the child-centred and teacher-directed styles. An additional profile, the extreme-child-centred style, was found in grade 3. Children taught by child-centred teachers showed the highest reading skills, whereas children taught by child-dominated teachers showed the lowest skills. More Estonian than Finnish teachers applied the child-dominated style in grade 1 and the extreme…

How minority pupils in Estonia view and cope with studying Estonian and via Estonian

2013

In those secondary schools in Estonia, where Russian has been the language of instruction, a lengthy process of reforming the language of education has taken place. In 2012, the obligatorily study 60 % of content subjects in Estonian was introduced for upper secondary levels (years 10–12). In the elementary levels, the teaching largely still takes place in Russian. Such minority schools constitute 17 % of all secondary schools. The main group influenced by this change are pupils, since it has an impact on the quality of their education. How they cope with studying in the second language depends on their motivation, the methodology and study materials used as well as the support and counsell…

Who cares? Evidence on informal and formal home care use in Estonia

2019

Despite increasing attention to long-term care (LTC) and related challenges in the Estonian social policy agenda, the distributional fairness of LTC services in the country has received very limited attention. Using SHARE data, we address informal and formal home care services and identify the socio-economic factors that drive or hinder their use among the Estonian elderly. The relationship between informal and formal home care utilization is estimated applying the new approach to instrumental variable method proposed by Lewbel [2012. Using heteroscedasticity to identify and estimate mismeasured and endogenous regressor models. Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, 30(1), 67–80]. We …

Introductory letter from the Presidents of the Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian Societies of Pharmacology.

2016

Media for the minorities: Russian language media in Estonia 1990–2012

2013

This article aims to explore the ways in which Estonian public broadcasting tackles one specific media service sphere; how television programmes for language minorities are created in a small country, how economics and European Union media policy have influenced this processes. The article highlights major tensions, namely between Estonian and Russian media outlets, Estonian and Russian speakers within Estonia and the EU and Estonia concerning the role of public service broadcasting (PSB). For research McQuail’s (2010) theoretical framework of media institutions’ influencers – politics, technology and economics – is used. For analyses media regulatory acts and audience surveys are accomplis…