Finnish High School Research Articles

Differences in mathematics-related achievement emotions between contact and distance learning arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic

Research during COVID-19 has shown that rapid transition to distance learning environment has influenced student’s emotions. Yet, there is a lack of studies about how this transition might have changed achievement emotions in mathematics. We investigated six mathematics-related achievement emotions (enjoyment, pride, anger, anxiety, shame, and boredom) among Finnish high school students (N = 1348) in contact learning and distance learning. We analysed the relationship between gender, achievement emotions, and the learning environment using latent growth curve structural models. Our results revealed that students reported higher levels of boredom and lower levels of pride, enjoyment, shame, and anxiety in distance learning than in contact learning. The distance learning effect was stronger for females than for males, particularly for students following the advanced syllabus. Female students reported a larger decrease in pride and enjoyment and a larger increase in boredom than male students when moving from contact learning to distance learning. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.

Lukio-opiskelijoiden käsityksiä vieraan kielen ääntämisen opetuksessa saadusta palautteesta

In foreign language teaching, feedback is an essential part of learning pronunciation. It raises the learner’s awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of their pronunciation. Yet previous research has shown that teachers often feel uncomfortable when giving feedback on learners’ pronunciation. We conducted a survey among Finnish high school students to find out their pronunciation targets and what kind of feedback they would like to receive. The survey revealed that a clear majority (80 %, n=1953) of respondents appreciated good pronunciation and wished for native-like pronunciation. They hoped to receive feedback from the teacher, and they understood the importance of corrective feedback for learning. Based on our findings we encourage teachers to provide positive and corrective pronunciation feedback to their students to promote effective learning.

Exploring students\u2019 procedural flexibility in three countries

BackgroundIn this cross-national study, Spanish, Finnish, and Swedish middle and high school students’ procedural flexibility was examined, with the specific intent of determining whether and how students’ equation-solving accuracy and flexibility varied by country, age, and/or academic track. The 791 student participants were asked to solve twelve linear equations, provide multiple strategies for each equation, and select the best strategy from among their own strategies.ResultsOur results indicate that knowledge and use of the standard algorithm for solving linear equations is quite widespread across students in all three countries, but that there exists substantial within-country variation as well as between-country variation in students’ reliance on standard vs. situationally appropriate strategies. In addition, we found correlations between equation-solving accuracy and students’ flexibility in all three countries but to different degrees.ConclusionsAlthough it is increasingly recognized as an important construct of interest, there are many aspects of mathematical flexibility that are not well-understood. Particularly lacking in the literature on flexibility are studies that explore similarities and differences in students’ repertoire of strategies for solving algebra problems across countries with different educational systems and curricula. This study yielded important insights about flexibility and can push the field to explore the extent that within- and between-country differences in flexibility can be linked to differences in countries’ educational systems, teaching practices, and/or cultural norms around mathematics teaching and learning.

Student-athletes’ mood state profiles: the role of sports, sex, and performance level in sports and in school

Daily workloads of adolescent student-athletes can be extremely high because of their investment in both school and sport. Adolescents are especially vulnerable to mood disturbances and disorders and thus mental health problems, as they experience psychological, physiological, and social shifts at this key stage of human development. The present study aims to provide information on the mental health of Finnish high school athletes by investigating their mood state profiles and the potential associations of sex, type of sport, and level of performance in sports and school with those profiles. Data were gathered through an online survey of 444 male and female student-athletes (aged 16–17) during the spring term of their second grade of high school. The 37-item Profile of Mood States questionnaire was used to measure mood states, with four mood state profiles found: (1) the surface profile (39.8%), (2) the Everest profile (13.2%), (3) the inverse Everest profile (13.2%), and (4) the iceberg profile (33.8%). Of the background variables, only sex was found to be related with the mood state profiles, with the Everest profile much more common in males (74.2%) than in females (25.8%). In addition, the energy index and total mood disturbance of mood states were higher among males than among females. The findings indicate that it is important to pay special attention to the mood states of young student-athletes, particularly females, and to create support systems that foster their resilience in combining sport and studies. Lay summary: This study explores mood in adolescent student-athletes in terms of mood state profiles, total mood disturbance, and energy index. Profile of Mood State (POMS) metrics were used to determine mood state profiles; POMS has previously been found to be a valid indicator of the state of athletes’ mental health. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE There is a need to pay special attention to adolescent female student-athletes’ coping and resilience when combining school and sport. Fatigue may be a notable impairing factor concerning student-athletes’ academic performance at school. POMS is a valid and recommended tool to monitor and measure the mood state of athletes.

U.S. and Finnish high school science engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the COVID‐19 pandemic struck, research teams in the United States and Finland were collaborating on a study to improve adolescent academic engagement in chemistry and physics and the impact remote teaching on academic, social, and emotional learning. The ongoing “Crafting Engaging Science Environments” (CESE) intervention afforded a rare data collection opportunity. In the United States, students were surveyed at the beginning of the school year and again in May, providing information for the same 751 students from before and during the pandemic. In Finland, 203 students were surveyed during remote learning. Findings from both countries during this period of remote learning revealed that students' academic engagement was positively correlated with participation in hands‐on, project‐based lessons. In Finland, results showed that situational engagement occurred in only 4.7% of sampled cases. In the United States, students show that academic engagement, primarily the aspect of challenge, was enhanced during remote learning. Engagement was in turn correlated with positive socioemotional constructs related to science learning. The study's findings emphasise the importance of finding ways to ensure equitable opportunities for students to participate in project‐based activities when learning remotely.

FINNISH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND THE PRIDE EXPERIENCE / SUOMALAISET LUKIOLAISET JA KOKEMUS YLPEYDESTÄ

<p>This research examined the emotion pride from a small sample of twenty Finnish high school students. The school students were interviewed to explore their perceptions of pride as an essential emotion for success at school and later life. The interviews revealed personal achievements, having a 'tough skin,' taking responsibility, displaying humility, and being strategic in life as more important than self-pride. The results indicate the teenagers are committed to traditional cultural values of family, achievement, humility, and resilience. This study is important for discussions regarding culture, self-esteem, motivation, ambition, work ethic and emotions. </p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0771/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

A Case Study of Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions in a Finnish High School during the COVID Pandemic

This study describes one local upper secondary school in Finland during the COVID-19 pandemic. All teaching was changed to distant for around two months. The study describes students’ and teachers’ perceptions during that time. Participants responded to the survey four times and freely described their experiences five times. The number of participants varied from 56 to 72 students and 9 to 15 teachers at different times. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, and qualitative content analysis. The main findings indicate that distance teaching was implemented very successfully. However, open comments and cluster analysis revealed many challenges. Students complained of heavy workloads and fatigue. Some students lost motivation. These difficulties did not disappear over time. The main challenges for teachers included non-authentic interaction and a lack of the spontaneity that in-person teaching provides. Teachers quickly learned to use technological platforms, but interaction through it was not of as high quality. Teachers were also worried about students’ progress. Teachers did not recognize students’ heavy workload and motivation problems in the way that students described them. The study provides several recommendations for future remote teaching.

Opiskelijoiden oma-aloitteiset selityspyynnöt ja niiden käsittely - neuvottelua luokkahuoneen episteemisistä oikeuksista ja velvollisuuksista

Tutkimus käsittelee opiskelijoiden selityspyyntöjä sekä pyyntöjen yhteydessä esitettyjä selontekoja. Tutkimuksessa vertaillaan selityssekvenssejä kolmesta eri oppimiskontekstista, joista kaksi on yliopistokursseja ja yksi yläkoulun luokkahuonetilanne. Tutkimuksen metodi on etnometodologinen keskustelunanalyysi. Analyysin perustana on selityssekvenssi, joka esitetään toiminnallisena ja tiedollisena kokonaisuutena. Aineistossa selityspyyntöä käsitellään pääosin odotuksenmukaisena ja oikeutettuna toimintana ainakin silloin, kun pyyntö palvelee senhetkistä kokonaistoimintaa ja toiminnan päämäärää. Fokuksessa ovat selityspyynnöt, joiden muotoiluun liittyy perusteluja ja täsmennyksiä tai joita joko pyytäjä tai pyynnön vastaanottaja käsittelevät epäodotuksenmukaisina suhteessa vuorovaikutustilanteen normiodotuksiin. Tutkimuksen keskeisin tulos on, että selityspyyntöihin liittyvät selonteot kertovat osallistujien tarpeesta neuvotella selityspyyntöihin ja selitystoimintaan liittyvästä episteemisestä ja moraalisesta ulottuvuudesta. Osallistujat osoittavat selityspyyntöihin liittyvillä selonteoilla, että selityspyynnöille ja selityksille tarvitaan kontekstikohtainen legitimiteetti, joka tukee selityspyynnön onnistumista tai joissain tapauksissa sanktioi pyynnön.

Luokkahuonevuorovaikutusta ja kehollista taidekasvatusta lukion musiikintunnilla

The article examines classroom interaction during a Finnish high school music lesson, using ethnomethodological multimodal conversation analysis as both a theoretical and methodological approach. It explores how artistic action and aesthetic experience become visible in moment-by-moment interaction in a context of everyday school lesson. Embodiment and continuity function as central features in pedagogical process aiming at artistic expression, and emerging both socially and individually. This shows conformity to e.g. John Dewey´s philosophical understanding of aesthetic experience. The analysis demonstrates the multilayeredness of the interaction in school music lesson. In the data extract, student participation in the artistic activity during the lesson is characterized by stylized performances and restrained embodiment. The music teacher orients to these forms of student participation as normal embodied institutional activities, not as students’ resistance towards her artistic or pedagogical activity.

Analysis of Characteristics of the Finnish High School Curriculum focusing on Students’Course Selection

Analysis of Characteristics of the Finnish High School Curriculum focusing on Students’Course Selection

A Myth Materialized: Occupational Projects and the Recoupling of Reform in a Finnish High School

A Myth Materialized: Occupational Projects and the Recoupling of Reform in a Finnish High School

Follow-up research about juvenile degree school students’ entrepreneur intentions and entrepreneur roles. Post-doc –study in the context of international entrepreneurship education

Th e purpose of the article is to fi nd possible prospective entrepreneurial roles and intentions of second degree students. In addition, it is being studied whether the future entrepreneurial roles and intentions of high school students are diff erent compared to the data obtained 10 years ago. Th e aim of this quantitative study is to fi nd out the following: <br/>1. What kinds of future entrepreneurial roles and intentions have second degree students now? <br/>2. What is the diff erence between the Finnish schools and the two Polish schools? <br/>3. Are there diff erences between the diff erent genders? <br/>4. What is the eff ect of role models, that is, fatherhood, motherhood and kinship / friendship with entrepreneurship? In addition, it is being studied <br/>5. Whether the future entrepreneurial roles and intentions of high school students are diff erent compared to the data obtained 10 years ago. Demographic factors include gender, school, entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial background, as well as entrepreneurship of a close relative / friendship circle. Th e study produces comparative data from two diff erent countries by comparing the entrepreneurial outlook. Th e material was collected in autumn 2014 by a co-meter Nevanperä (2003). Th e meter and its components have been tested several times: Nevanperä & Kansikas (2008) and (2009), Nevanperä (2014) and at the University of Eastern Finland and Vaasa In research sections C and D, a total of 39 claims (future entrepreneurial roles and intentions of students) were factored into fi ve factors to facilitate the processing of results. Th e Likert scale of 1-5 was used in the study. Th e reliables of variables (Cronbach alfas) were high except one (0.63-0.96). Th ere are a total of 324 respondents, of whom 100 are foreign. 38% of Finnish respondents are girls and 58% of foreign respondents are girls. Finnish students in the study are from 40 municipalities and cities in Finland. In the 2006-2007 survey Teuva high school had 21 respondents, Kopernikus high school 112 respondents and Evangelical high school 31 respondents. Polish students live in Cieszyn town, in southern Poland and in the surrounding Silesian province Th e study institutes are Suupohja Vocational Institute / Vocational College (92 respondents, 31% girls), Suupohja Vocational Institute / Commercial College (64 respondents, girls 47%), Suupohja Vocational Institute / Agricultural College (29 respondents, girls 18%). Teuva High School (39 respondents, 53% girls; year 2006 21 respondents, 5% girls), Polish Copernicus High School (61 respondents, 62% girls; year 2007 112, 52% girls) and Poland Evangelical High School (39 respondents, 51%; year 2007 31 respondents, 45% girls). Th e research data has been based on statistical means, deviations, meanings (variance analysis / ANOVA), linear regression analysis and t-test in University of Applied Sciences Seinäjoki. Th ere are considerable diff erences between educational institutions in attitudes towards future entrepreneurial roles and intentions. Th e future entrepreneurial roles and intentions of the Polish high school students are signifi cantly more positive than the roles and intentions of the Finnish high school students. Gender and entrepreneurship background explain most young people’s future entrepreneurial roles and intentions. Other background variables also seem to have an eff ect. Th e explanation for the family entrepreneur’s role and intention is the highest when considering the control variables. Th ese explain 19 % of the variation. Relatively, most explains the father’s entrepreneurial background and the second most gender (girl). Girls regard family business and continuing of the family business very signifi cantly less than boys. Father’s entrepreneurial attitude raises the mean very signifi cantly compared to other students. Mother’s entrepreneurial background also has an uplift ing eff ect. Subcontracting and business entrepreneurship are of interest to today’s high school students. However, there are no signifi cant diff erences between the reference years. Th e mean of family entrepreneurship in 2015 is almost signifi cantly higher than in 2006-2007. Also in the case of other analyzes, in which the results of comparisons was the data acquired in 2006-2007 and in 2015, interesting results were obtained, indicating changes that have occurred in the discussed area.

Material Mediations Complicate Communication Privacy Management. The Case Of Wilma In Finnish High Schools

Increasingly, school settings are implementing digital technologies to coordinate teachers’ work. This article examines the role of these technologies in teachers’ boundary regulation processes through the lens of communication privacy management theory, and it provides empirical insight into the renegotiation of being a teacher in the presence of rules formalized in software code. The case of Finnish high school teachers exposed to the use of Wilma, a distributed computing system used to store, process, and transmit student data, revealed experiences of a need to renegotiate formalized and trackable work processes, faster and more colloquial communication, and intensified day-to-day work. These influence modes of accountability and the need to negotiate visibility, along with understandings of rules as a central coordination mechanism for interpersonal boundary regulation. The authors suggest in addition that these technologies inure various social stakeholders to constant technical monitoring and regular accounting, thereby advancing the normalization of surveillance practices. This creates good reason to pay closer attention to how rules of engagement may be coordinated.

Identity profiles and digital engagement among Finnish high school students

Developing a stable personal identity is considered a more precarious task in today’s society than hitherto. Skilful digital engagement may, however, constitute a valuable asset in necessary identity exploration and commitment. Applying a person-oriented approach, we examined for the first time how identity profiles are associated with digital engagement, operationalized as digital competence, gaming seriousness, type of internet activity and excessive ICT use. After controlling for gender, life satisfaction and parental SES, this study of a Finnish high school sample (N = 932) revealed that adolescents with future commitments and some exploration of options (achievement, searching moratorium) were the most advanced in digital skills and, in the former case, least prone to excessive ICT use. By contrast, adolescents desperately trying to solve the identity task (ruminative moratorium) scored highest on friendship-driven internet activity and excessive ICT use, whereas diffused individuals had the weakest digital competence. No differences between the profiles emerged regarding gaming and interest-driven internet activity. The results suggest that the digital world and related devices are purposeful tools for shaping and maintaining healthy identity commitments.

Monitoring in collaborative learning: Co-occurrence of observed behavior and physiological synchrony explored

Although research on collaborative learning suggests that monitoring plays an important role in successful regulation of the collaborative learning process, little is known about how students attend to it together. This study explores monitoring in collaborative learning. Specifically, it studies how students in a group monitor their cognitive, affective and behavioral processes during their collaboration, as well as how observed monitoring co-occurs with their physiological synchrony during the collaborative learning session. Data was collected from 48 Finnish highschool students who were learning about nutrition in groups of three. The session was videotaped and coded in terms of monitoring of cognition, behavior and affect. Students’ arousal was measured as electrodermal activity with wearable sensors and used to calculate physiological synchrony between the students. Three case groups, with priority on the quality of the data, were chosen for detailed analysis. The results indicate that the main targets of monitoring for these case groups were cognition and behavior, while monitoring of affect occurred the least. Most of the student pairs inside the groups showed significant amounts of physiological synchrony. High values of physiological synchrony occurred when monitoring was frequent. Time series analysis showed a weak positive connection between monitoring and physiological synchrony for two groups out of three. These results indicate that physiological synchrony could potentially shine a light on the joint regulation processes of collaborative learning groups.

Peers as Teachers in Physical Education Hip Hop Classes in Finnish High School

In this case study, theoretically rooted in peer-assisted learning (PAL), ten female high school students, acting as peer teachers, taught hip hop dance in a voluntary physical education course. The data, derived from questionnaires and interviews with the peer teachers, were analysed using content analysis. The results showed that the peer teachers considered dance an important subject in the weekly curriculum. On the one hand, peer teachers enjoyed the freedom of making the class look like their own, the fast learning of their students, and the increased self-confidence acquired over the course. On the other hand, most of them were self-critical and felt ashamed when making mistakes. They also felt uncomfortable teaching same-aged or slightly older peers, and were surprised at the unwelcoming and rather arrogant attitude of their students. This article illustrates not only the difficulties that a peer-teaching experiment can encounter, but also the value of peer teaching in offering positive experiences and engaging students in school PE through urban youth culture.

Desirable School Science Education: The Views of Finnish High School Students

Desirable School Science Education: The Views of Finnish High School Students

Schoolwork engagement and burnout among Finnish high school students and young adults: Profiles, progressions, and educational outcomes.

Applying a person-centered approach, the primary aim of this study was to examine what profiles of schoolwork engagement and burnout (i.e., exhaustion, cynicism, inadequacy) can be identified in high school (N = 979) and among the same participants in young adulthood (ages ranging from 17 to 25). We also examined gender differences, group differences in academic and socioemotional functioning and long-term educational outcomes, and temporal stability in the group memberships. Latent profile analysis identified 4 groups of students in high school. Both engaged (44%) and engaged-exhausted (28%) students were engaged and doing well in school, although engaged-exhausted students were more stressed and preoccupied with possible failures. Cynical (14%) and burned-out (14%) students were less engaged, valued school less, and had lower academic achievement. Cynical students, however, were less stressed, exhausted, and depressed than burned-out students. Six years later, engaged students were more likely than predicted by chance to attend university. In young adulthood, 4 similar groups were identified. Configural frequency analysis indicated that it was typical for engaged students to stay in the engaged group and for engaged-exhausted students to move into a more disengaged group. The results on broadband stability from adolescence to young adulthood showed that 60% of the youth manifested stable engaged and 7% stable disengaged patterns, whereas 16% displayed emergent engagement and 17% emergent disengagement patterns. Overall, the findings demonstrate that adolescence is not a uniform time for either school engagement and well-being or disengagement and distress.

The relationship between fundamental movement skills and self-reported physical activity during Finnish junior high school

Background: Previous studies have shown that fundamental movement skills (FMS) and physical activity are related. Specifically, earlier studies have demonstrated that the ability to perform a variety of FMS increases the likelihood of children participating in a range of physical activities throughout their lives. To date, however, there have not been studies focused on the development of, or the relationship between, these variables through junior high school (that is, between the ages of 13 and 15). Such studies might provide important insights into the relationships between FMS and physical activity during adolescence, and suggest ways to design more effective physical education programmes for adolescents.Purpose: The main purposes of the study are: (1) to investigate the development of the students' self-reported physical activity and FMS from Grade 7 to Grade 9, (2) to analyse the associations among the students' FMS and self-reported physical activity through junior high school, (3) to analyse whether there are gender differences in research tasks one and/or two.Participants and setting: The participants in the study were 152 Finnish students, aged 13 and enrolled in Grade 7 at the commencement of the study. The sample included 66 girls and 86 boys who were drawn from three junior high schools in Middle Finland.Research design and data collection: Both the FMS tests and questionnaires pertaining to self-reported physical activity were completed annually during a 3 year period: in August (when the participants were in Grade 7), January (Grade 8), and in May (Grade 9).Data analysis: Repeated measures multivariate analysis of variances (MANOVAs) were used to analyse the interaction between gender and time (three measurement points) in FMS test sumscores and self-reported physical activity scores. The relationships between self-reported physical activity scores and fundamental movement skill sumscores through junior high school were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with LISREL 8.80 software.Findings: The MANOVA for self-reported physical activity demonstrated that both genders' physical activity decreased through junior high school. The MANOVA for the FMS revealed that the boys' FMS sumscore increased whereas the girls' skills decreased through junior high school. The SEM and squared multiple correlations revealed FMS in Grades 7 and 8 as well as physical activity in Grade 9 explained FMS in Grade 9. The portion of prediction was 69% for the girls and 55% for the boys. Additionally, physical activity measured in Grade 7 and FMS measured in Grade 9 explained physical activity in Grade 9. The portion of prediction was 12% for the girls and 29% for the boys. In the boys' group, three additional paths were found; FMS in Grade 7 explained physical activity in Grade 9, physical activity in Grade 7 explained FMS in Grade 8, and physical activity in Grade 7 explained physical activity in Grade 8.Conclusions: The study suggests that supporting and encouraging FMS and physical activity are co-related and when considering combined scores there is a greater likelihood of healthy lifelong outcomes. Therefore, the conclusion can be drawn that FMS curriculum in school-based PE is a plausible way to ensure good lifelong outcomes. Earlier studies support that school physical education plays an important role in developing students FMS and is in a position to thwart the typical decline of physical activity in adolescence. These concepts are particularly important for adolescent girls as this group reflects the greatest decline in physical activity during the adolescent period.

Supplemental Material for Schoolwork Engagement and Burnout Among Finnish High School Students and Young Adults: Profiles, Progressions, and Educational Outcomes

Supplemental Material for Schoolwork Engagement and Burnout Among Finnish High School Students and Young Adults: Profiles, Progressions, and Educational Outcomes