Search results for "ta516"
showing 10 items of 614 documents
Participation in job-related lifelong learning among well-educated employees in the Nordic countries
2016
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…
Varieties of universalism : post-1990s developments in the initial school-based model of VET in Finland and Sweden and implications for transitions t…
2016
The Nordic countries are often referred to as a group even though their education systems and training models are very different. The aim of this study is to advance understanding of those differen...
A Shift Towards Academic Capitalism in Finland
2013
Academic capitalism is currently a widely studied topic amongst higher education scholars, especially in the United States. This paper demonstrates that the theory of academic capitalism also provides a fruitful perspective for analysing the restructuring of Finnish higher education since the 1990s, although with reservations. It will be argued that many reforms in Finnish universities since the 1990s, and especially in the early 2000s, have integrated Finnish universities more tightly with the new knowledge-based economy. As some recent empirical studies indicate, activities and practices related to academic capitalism remain, however, unevenly distributed among different disciplines, and …
Enabling environments for equity, access and quality education post-2015: Lessons from South Africa and Tanzania
2016
Abstract In this paper we seek to contribute to the post-2015 education agenda by shifting the focus from considerations of what education goals and targets should be to a people-centred exploration of enabling environments, within and beyond education, for equity, access and quality. Theoretically, the paper draws on the capabilities approach. Empirically, we present data from two independent qualitative studies conducted in South Africa (n = 40) and Tanzania (n = 10) with university students who accessed higher education despite trends of low participation for their social class and/or gender. The paper highlights the importance of taking account of both instrumental and intrinsic values …
Neoliberalism, curriculum development and manifestations of ‘creativity’
2015
There is a manifest tendency for national education policy to follow global economic trends. In many western industrialized countries this relationship has intensified or strengthened within the last decades. The strengthening of this relationship has been seen, among other things, as evidence of the growing power of neoliberal ideology. The background reference for this article is the emergence of a neoliberal education policy ideology in the two creativity related strategies implemented by the Finnish government during the first decade of the 21st century. The main focus of the study was the concept of creativity, for it has appeared to be the prevailing trend within the Finnish basic edu…
Finnish Case of Basic Education for All – With Quality Learning Outcomes
2014
This article views behind the success of the Finnish basic education in the PISA assessments in the years 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2009. Success is here defined not only as excellent learning outcomes in reading literacy, mathematics and science, but also as a high level of educational equity and equality. The achieved outcomes are attributable to several factors, of which this article addresses especially the basic education reform of 1972-1977 and the university based teacher education leading to a master’s degree. Additional attention is paid to the autonomy of the municipalities (counties), schools and teachers in building and implementing the curricula, on the respect for learning and teac…
Seeking New Perspectives on the Development of Teacher Education – A Study of the Finnish Context
2013
Studies show that changes in teacher education around the world occur slowly and are difficult to implement. This study aims to contribute to the discussion on the major resources for and obstacles to developing teacher education and finding novel solutions to overcome the obstacles. Resources and obstacles were investigated in the context of academic and university-based teacher education in Finland. Findings revealed three major challenges: (a) obstacles in renegotiating professional identity, (b) internal competition between subject-matter groups within the department, and (c) discrepancies between individual agency and organizational development. Based on the findings, this study argues…
Peer-group mentoring as a tool for teacher development
2014
Abstract: Peer-group mentoring (PGM) is a new model designed to support the professional development of teachers in Finland. This study examines the experiences of mentees participating in PGM and potential differences in the experiences of teachers in general education and vocational education. It also addresses the mentees perceptions of the results of PGM with regard to the professional, personal and social dimensions of professional development. Quantitative research methods were used. An online survey was completed by 69 teachers in general education and 47 teachers in vocational education (n = 116). The results showed that the participants saw PGM as an important tool for professional…
Classroom interaction and literacy activities in kindergarten : Longitudinal links to grade 1 readers at risk and not at risk of reading difficulties
2017
The purpose of the present study is to establish how the quality of kindergarten classroom interactions and the frequency of literacy activities affect reading development among Grade 1 children—both those who are at risk and not at risk of developing reading difficulties. Interaction was assessed in terms of classroom organization, and the level of emotional and instructional support offered in 49 kindergarten classrooms in Finland using the CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System). Kindergarten teachers also recorded the frequency of literacy activities in their classrooms. The phonological awareness and letter knowledge of 515 children (i.e., their pre-reading skills) were assessed at…
Student behavioral engagement as a mediator between teacher, family, and peer support and school truancy
2014
This study investigated the associations between student's behavioral engagement; teacher, family, and peer emotional support; and school truancy. Student-reported data of 821 Finnish junior high school students were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Teacher and family support were positively associated with student behavioral engagement, which in turn was negatively associated with truancy. Behavioral engagement mediated the associations between teacher and family emotional support and truancy. The results highlight the pivotal roles of teacher and family emotional support in fostering student behavioral engagement and preventing truancy in junior high schools. Students who are …