Finnish University Students Research Articles

The association between depression and cannabis use with technology multitasking among Finnish university students – a pilot study

Multitasking with technology – the simultaneous use of two or more media devices – has increased in recent years. However, to date, little research has been done on the subject, and it is therefore important to gain more information on its effects. The aim of this preliminary study was to examine associations between technology multitasking, depression symptoms and cannabis use among Finnish university students; background factors which affect technology multitasking were also considered. The study was a cross-sectional study. Participants were Finnish university students (n = 260) and the data were gathered through a survey. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, correlation coefficient and linear regression analysis. The results demonstrated that specific background variables are associated with technology multitasking, whereas there was no significant association between depression symptoms and cannabis use with technology multitasking. It transpired that female gender, age and daily mobile phone use related significantly to technology multitasking. The study identified certain background factors which affect technology multitasking; technology multitasking was more common among girls and younger participants. There were no significant associations between technology multitasking and depression symptoms or cannabis use, but the results should be interpreted with caution due to the small study population. Instead, higher daily internet use was significantly associated with increased depression symptoms. Technology multitasking is a very recent subject for research, so it is important to improve our knowledge and gain new insights. The results can be used to design various health promotion projects, and multiple actors such as municipalities or organizations can use the data to e.g., plan targeted interventions.

Has the Prevalence of Creaky Voice Increased Among Finnish University Students From the 1990'S to the 2010'S?

Everyday observations indicate that creaky voice has become common in Finland in recent years. Previous studies suggest that this trend is also occurring in other countries. This cross-sectional study investigates the use of creaky voice among Finnish university students from the 1990's to the 2010's. Material was obtained from a sound archive. It consisted of 200 samples from normophonic speakers (95 males, 105 females; mean age 23.7 years, SD 3.3 years, range 19-35 years). Normophonia was checked by two speech therapists in a preliminary perceptual analysis. Thereafter, two voice specialists rated the amount of creak and strain. A scale of 0-4 was used (0=none, 4=a lot). The inter- and intrarater reliability for the listening evaluations were satisfactory (for creaky phonation, rho=0.611, P < 0.001 for interrater reliability and rho=0.540, P < 0.001 for intrarater reliability; for strain, rho=0.463, P < 0.001 and rho=0.697, P < 0.001 for inter- and intrarater reliability, respectively). These results revealed a significant increase in the amount of perceived creak in females (from 1.04, SD 0.69 to 1.55, SD 1.06; P < 0.05, Mann-Whitney U test). In males, no significant change was found. However, the frequency of creaky voice use increased in both genders. No male speakers from the 1990's were rated as using "a lot" of creaky voice, but 2.3% of male speakers from the 2010's received this rating. Male speakers who were rated "quite a lot" increased from 5.9% in the 1990's to 18.1% in the 2010's. Female speakers rated "a lot" increased from 0% to 6%, and female speakers rated "quite a lot" increased from 7% to 25.8% over the studied time periods. Creaky phonation and strain correlated slightly in males (rho=0.24, P < 0.05) and moderately in females (rho=0.55, P < 0.001). Age did not correlate with the amount of creaky phonation (rho=0.005, P > 0.10 for males, rho=-0.011, P > 0.10 for females). It can be concluded that the prevalence of creaky voice has increased among young Finnish speakers, particularly females.

University language students’ evaluations of ecological, social, cultural and economic sustainability and their importance in language teaching

PurposeThis study aims to explore how university language students evaluate different sustainability themes and examine the overall relevance of ecological, social, cultural and economic sustainability dimensions in language education.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was designed to study Finnish university language students’ (n = 55) order of priority for sustainability dimensions and their sub-themes and the justifications for the priority orders using a mixed methods design. Qualitative content analysis was conducted using NVivo software, and weighted rankings were used to analyse the quantitative data.FindingsThe findings of the study showed that language students evaluated the social and cultural dimensions as the most relevant in language teaching. In all dimensions, students approached sustainability mainly by prioritising larger issues and advancing towards smaller ones. Most non-directional responses appeared in the economic dimension. In addition, individual prioritising and justification approaches varied between different sustainability dimensions.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous studies have examined language students’ evaluations of and justifications for all four sustainability dimensions. The results highlight the need to use multiple, holistic approaches and systems thinking to incorporate education for sustainable development.

“I start to doubt myself when I am watching this”: Moments of (self)-reflexivity in a virtual exchange project between China and Finland

Although virtual exchange has been widely discussed during the (post-)pandemic era, how students do (self-)reflexivity in this context has yet to be fully explored. This study examines interviews with Chinese and Finnish university students about how they reflect on their virtual exchanges by presenting them with videoclips of their encounters. Grounded in Foucault’s (1988) technologies of the self and Clark &amp; Author 2’s (20xx) multidimensions of (self-)reflexivity, the study examines how (self-)reflexivity is co-constructed by individuals, the media and researchers (e.g., ways of doing (self-)reflexivity adopted by students). Further, we investigate how they conceptualize interculturality based on their own (self-)reflexivity. Recommendations for (online) intercultural education are given based on the findings, inviting scholars and researchers to rethink and unthink the notion of (self-)reflexivity in intercultural education.

How Finnish and Filipino university students in business studies perceive leaders based on visual cues

This article sets out to examine cultural differences in perceiving leaders’ visual non-verbal behavior. It examines and compares how business students at universities in Finland and the Philippines perceive business leaders based on visual cues, drawing on social psychological theories of social categorization, person perception, and the cultural dimensions of leadership and organization. A total of 32 university students of business studies participated in the study. They were presented with eight images of people with different visual expressions and reflected in writing on what kinds of leaders these people would be. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The findings show that both Finnish and Filipino students had similar perceptions of what kinds of leaders the people in the images might be. However, in terms of leadership preferences, the Finnish students appeared to place more emphasis on the person’s level of communicativeness and friendliness, whereas levels of competence and commitment were emphasized more strongly by Filipino students. The theoretical approach and design of the study may be applied in research on leaders’ visual nonverbal expressiveness in multicultural organizations.

Identity profiles, motivations for attending university and study-related burnout: differences between Finnish students in professional and non-professional fields

Research suggests that the reported increase in student mental health issues such as study burnout might be related to students’ identity problems and their motivations for undertaking higher education. The present study added to this line of research by investigating the associations between identity profiles, motives for attending university and study burnout in a sample of Finnish first-year university students (N = 430). Field of study (professional vs non-professional) as a factor was also evaluated because differing occupational prospects might influence one’s sense of identity. The results showed that (1) three identity profiles emerged (i.e. achievement, moderate moratorium and diffusion), (2) students in the achievement profile scored lowest on burnout, (3) the achievement profile was the most common among students studying for entry to a profession and (4) students in the achievement profile scored highest on internal motives for attending university. It is concluded that most students lack a clear sense of identity and that identity measures may be more appropriate in predicting study progression and well-being than motives for attending university or engaging in a field of study.

Challenges in virtual team communication in the context of virtual exchange experience

Abstract As technology has enabled people across the world to collaborate and create virtual communities, the ability to interact in computer-mediated, cross-cultural environments in a meaningful way has become a necessity. This is particularly true for younger adults who operate in virtual teams during their studies, for instance in virtual exchange projects, and later in their professional life. In this qualitative study, we examined the features and functionality of cross-cultural communication in virtual exchange teams. By analysing three datasets produced by Finnish university and American community college students (n=38) who participated in a virtual exchange, we examined what kinds of challenges emerge in the communication of virtual teams and how students use theories of computer-mediated communication when trying to make sense of those challenges. The results of the reflexive thematic analysis indicated that the challenges in communication of virtual teams stem from cultural and motivational differences. These challenges could be alleviated by increasing the shared work time allocated for social information sharing and for constructing appropriate, team-specific ways to express online social presence and propinquity. The findings highlight the meaningfulness and relationality of virtual team communication and provide insight into motivational factors and the sense of belonging when communication challenges arise.

Recycling of Plastic Food Packages: A Case Study with Finnish University Students

Recycling, depositing, and proper discarding of plastics are significant means to reduce plastics in the environment. The purpose of this study was to monitor both the type and amount of plastic food packages recycled, reused, and discarded in Finnish households with at least one university student. The participating students came from various universities of applied sciences. They participated in courses related to sustainable food systems at Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences. In total, 785 approved participants from 363 households took part in one-week monitoring. The focus was to quantify the number of food packages used and specify how the respondents handled the food packages after use. This study shows that the recycling rate of plastic packages in Finnish households was 61%. Bigger households produce less packaging waste per person than one- or two-person households. Furthermore, the recycling activity in single-person households was lower than for two- and three-person households. The Finnish deposit system for drink packages encourages people to recycle packages. This reduces municipal waste. Recycling requires knowledge of the plastic material used in food packages.

Assessment of students’ agency in Finnish and Spanish university courses: Analysis of measurement invariance

This study reports on the measurement invariance of the Agency of University Students Scale in data consisting of Finnish and Spanish university students (n = 645) and presents cross-national findings on student agency assessment. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the metric invariance for 10 factors, which allows comparisons of covariance structures and correlation analyses, and can, for example, be used to examine background factor effects on agency across groups. At least partial scalar invariance was confirmed for six factors, allowing comparisons of mean values between Finnish and Spanish students. Differences were found in the experiences of personal and relational resources of agency. The analysis discusses the utility of the AUS Scale for large-scale studies of student agency across countries.

A Case Study of Collaborative Online International Learning Between Finnish and Japanese University Students: Learning and Using English Beyond the Classroom

This paper aims to examine how a pair of Japanese and Finnish university students collaborate through an original Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project which was introduced as a completely out-of-class activity. Using a case study approach, I focus on the Japanese student’s reflection for an in-depth understanding of her experience of the COIL project over 4 months. The analysis is based on the data collected through an interview and her actual interchange of email messages and letters with her Finnish partner student. The results show (a) that the Japanese student embarked on the project with both expectations of intercultural communication and anxieties about her English proficiency, and (b) that the two students co-constructed their own communication styles as they shared personal information and developed empathy and rapport with each other. I also found (c) that the Japanese student’s obsession with formality and accuracy as well as recognition of her lack of communicative English contributed to the gradual decrease in the number of email messages. However, (d) this helped her to realize her needs and maintain, even enhance, her motivation to study English. The study also sheds light on the necessity of providing well-balanced opportunities for students to learn and use both formal and informal English in order to encourage better communication. 本稿は、授業外活動として独自に導入した「国際協働オンライン学習プロジェクト」に於ける日本とフィンランドの大学生ペアの協働の過程を探究する。ケーススタディの手法を用いて、同プロジェクトに4ヵ月間参加した日本の学生のインタビューと実際のやりとり (eメ-ルと手紙)を分析した結果、(a)日本の学生は異文化交流への期待とともに、自身の英語力に対する不安も抱きながらプロジ ェクトに参加し、(b)日本とフィンランドの学生はお互いに個人情報を共有し、心を通わせ信頼関係を築きながら自分たちのコミュニ ケーションの形式を協働的に創り上げた。また、(c)日本の学生の形式と正確さへの執着および英語力の不安により、eメールや手紙の送信回数が徐々に減る傾向が見られたが、(d)同時にそれにより自身のニーズを認識し、英語学習のモチベーションの維持ひいては 向上に結びついたと認識していることが明らかになった。さらに本研究の結果、より良いコミュニケーションを促すために、フォーマル に加えてカジュアルな英語表現の学習および使用の機会の必要性も示された。

Feeling exhausted and isolated? The connections between university students’ remote teaching and learning experiences, motivation, and psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic

We examined university students’ experiences of remote teaching and learning, how the experiences are associated with well-being, and whether those associations differ according to motivation. Using latent variable modelling, we classified Finnish university students (N = 2686) based on their expectancy-value-cost profiles, compared latent means, and tested whether the predictions varied across profiles. Six expectancy-value-cost profiles were identified: moderately motivated, utility-oriented, disengaged, indifferent, positively ambitious, and struggling ambitious. Overall, positively ambitious students seemed most adaptive in terms of their study experiences and well-being. Similarly across the profiles, engagement was predicted positively by the evaluation of remote teaching and negatively by experienced strain, exhaustion positively by the evaluation of teaching and strain, and depressive symptoms positively by strain and sense of alienation. Findings suggest that subjective experiences of remote teaching and learning during the pandemic contribute to students’ well-being in unique ways and that distinct motivational mindsets may buffer against the negative outcomes.

Difficult but Valuable! Learning in Student-centered Assessment Feedback Practices in Higher Education

Aims: The aim of this study is to fill a gap in research on students' experiences of learning in student-centered assessment feedback practices. The article examines what students tell us about their learning in the context of student-centered feedback practices in higher education during online learning.&#x0D; Study Design: The study was conducted as a qualitative online survey among Finnish university students (N=35). The relationship between learning and assessment was explored in the context of formative and summative assessment practices during an online learning environment. The data was analysed using a discursive approach.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: The research was conducted in Finland during spring 2021.&#x0D; Methodology: The scientific and philosophical framework of the study is based on the theory of social constructionism, according to which social reality is formed through language in an interaction between people. The methodology used was discursive reading, i.e., how social reality is discursively produced through language. The starting point was the idea that language creates different discourses or perspectives on reality.&#x0D; Results: The feedback practices provided a different picture of learning and highlighted different dimensions of learning. Learning was discussed in terms of positive emotions, multiple perspectives, sociality, renewal, and holistic learning. In addition, negative emotions, disinformation, regression, and the playing field metaphor were associated with learning. &#x0D; Conclusion: The results show that feedback practices that are presented as student-centered do not necessarily support the learning process of adults. Learning and assessment practices based on pedagogy and a learning theory can best support students' personal and social growth and increase their self-esteem. In online learning, teacher guidance and pedagogically based learning support are emphasized. We argue that in online-learning, where the role of the teacher is often small, student-centered well-intentioned assessment practices can only provide a thin veneer of learning unless students are helped to see the holistic importance of assessment as part of the learning process.

Dealing with Moments of Crisis Interculturally in Educational Virtual Exchanges: A Sino–Finnish Case Study

Being able to deal with “moments of crisis” is crucial in intercultural communication. Using identities as an analytical lens, this paper examines different types of “moments of crisis” identified in educational virtual exchanges between Chinese and Finnish university students. The study shows that the participants use soothing and code-switching as strategies in these moments of crisis to “do” interculturality, i.e., to achieve interactional arrangements (e.g., moving the discussion forward) and self-other alignments (e.g., saving face). Focusing on soothing as a positive strategy and code-switching as an avoidance strategy in dealing with “moments of crisis”, we also scrutinize the emergence of the identities of mediator, fence-sitter, and facilitator in the students’ behaviors. Finally, students’ working experience, language use, and physical surroundings are identified as having a potential influence on their use of soothing and code-switching during the online intercultural interactions. Recommendations for preparing students for international virtual exchanges conclude the paper.

Finnish university students' satisfaction with e-learning outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeStudents' satisfaction with e-learning outcomes is a vital component in determining the adoption of e-learning systems. Understanding the antecedent factors impacting students' satisfaction with e-learning outcomes helps decision-makers at the higher education to take the necessary actions to enhance the quality of students' performance, especially during the exceptional times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThis paper aims to determine and analyse the antecedent factors influencing students' satisfaction with e-learning outcomes during the pandemic. Structural equation modelling (SEM) is used to analysis a proposed research model.FindingsThe SEM results show that digital communities in e-learning, information technology (quality and accessibility) and the online course design quality directly influence students' satisfaction with e-learning outcomes. More interestingly, results show that the COVID-19-related factors (1) awareness of the COVID-19, (2) perceived challenges (negatively) and (3) the educational institutions' preparedness also influence e-learning outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsThe results suggest that the decision-makers at the educational institutions should consider adopting a blended learning system approach to deliver e-learning during the emergency, such as the COVID-19 outbreak situation.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies in higher education context, which seek to identify the antecedent factors that influence students' satisfaction with e-learning outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Syntaktisk komplexitet i inlärarsvenska: en jämförelse mellan finska universitets-studenters muntliga och skriftliga produktion på två olika färdighetsnivåer

This study examines how proficiency level affects syntactic complexity in written and spoken L2 Swedish. Spoken production can be more challenging for learners at lower proficiency levels due to the limited resources for processing the target language (Skehan 1998), whereas the possibility for more extensive planning during the writing process enables the production of syntactically complex structures in writing (Skehan &amp; Foster 2012, Tavakoli 2014). Automaticity at higher proficiency levels reduces the cognitive load that the spoken production imposes on learners and facilitates the production of complex structures in speech (Leonard &amp; Shea 2017). However, few studies have directly compared complexity in written and spoken L2 production, and earlier studies have resulted in contradictory results (Kuiken &amp; Vedder 2012b:364–365). The data in this study consist of monologues and essays produced by 31 Finnish university students. Some subjects study Scandinavian languages as their major, while others take part in a Swedish course at the Centre for Language and Communication Studies. The analysis is based on surface-level complexity measures, such as the mean length of production units and the dependent clause ratio. The results show that proficiency plays an important role especially in spoken production and, therefore, also in the differences between written and spoken production. At the lower proficiency level, written production is significantly more complex when it comes to the mean length of T- and AS-units, the dependent clause ratio, and the ratio of dependent clauses with a sentence adverbial. Surprisingly, the mean clause length shows higher complexity in speech at the lower proficiency level. At the higher proficiency level, there are no statistically significant differences between the modalities. These results indicate that the cognitively more demanding task of producing L2 speech can lead to the use of simple structures at the lower proficiency level, resulting in a greater difference between written and spoken complexity. The learners at the higher proficiency level seem to be able to produce complex structures also in the spoken mode, and therefore, there are no significant differences between written and spoken complexity at this level.

University students’ Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) experiences in the light of a well-being theory

Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is an atypical and multisensory phenomenon in which specific audio-visual stimuli elicit a pleasurable, head-oriented tingling sensation and feelings of relaxation. The purpose of this research was to analyze the ASMR experiences of university students in the light of well-being theory. Two-phased, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with three Finnish university students who identified themselves as ASMR experiencers. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Coding was guided by the domains of well-being in the PERMA model: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. The objective was to explore effect of students’ ASMR experiences on their well-being. The findings show that ASMR videos enhanced the well-being of the participants through mindfulness-like experience. The potential of ASMR videos to promote psychosocial wellbeing is intriguing, and this research provide new understanding about ASMR experiences and their meaning.

Dark personality traits and sociosexual dynamics in Australian men and women: Two direct replications of Borráz-León & Rantala (2021)

Direct replication is essential to establish generalisability of effects and identify false positive results. This research presents two direct replications of a study that explored dark personality traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) as predictors of self-perceived attractiveness, mate value and number of sexual partners (sociosexual dynamics), in Finnish university students (Borráz-León & Rantala, 2021). In the current study, 304 university students (48 men, 250 women; Sample 1) and 507 Australian adults (164 men, 339 women; Sample 2) completed questionnaires assessing the same dark traits and sociosexual dynamics. Results showed that higher levels of narcissism were associated with higher self-perceived attractiveness and mate value in both samples (directly replicating findings of the original research). Inconsistent with findings from the original study, psychopathy had a negative association with perceived mate value (in both samples), and dark traits were unrelated to number of sexual partners. There was little evidence that findings were moderated by sex with similar associations observed for men and women. Overall, the findings of this research provide evidence that narcissism and psychopathy can predict some sociosexual outcomes in Australian adults, and might be of interest to clinicians working in areas related to romantic and sexual issues.

Finnish University Students’ Views of the Strengths of Foreign Language Courses

Compared with younger language learners, adult learners are assumed to have greater difficulty with language learning, for instance, in reaching native-like proficiency. Most studies in the area of second language acquisition and foreign language education have focused on younger learners, with the research on adult language learning being very limited. Through an analysis of previous studies on adult language learning and small-scale empirical research, this article examines students’ views of the strengths and good practices of foreign language courses in university language courses other than English. The questionnaire data collected from university students (N = 53) learning French, German and Italian as L3/L4 at the language centre of a Finnish university were analysed in a qualitative and quantitative way. The strongest evidence from our study was the indispensable role of teachers in university language courses. The analysis results indicate a mismatch between teacher-led and student-centred pedagogy. On the one hand, adult learners seemed to need strong guidance from the teacher, yet on the other hand, the best practices in the courses were those activities in which the adult learners could produce the target language in interactions with their peers. Finally, the factors that enhance adult language learning in higher education are reflected upon.

Meaningful Encounters with the Built Environment as the Basis for Urban Environmental Education

As the majority of people in the world now live in cities, it makes sense to question the state of urban environmental education and how it could be developed going forward. In this article, we suggest a way forward based on the essays written by Finnish university students. The students reflected on their relationship with an environment that is meaningful to them. In the essays selected for this case study (n = 25), the built environment of Helsinki—the capital of Finland—and its characteristics are in focus. In this qualitative research, inductive content analysis was used for processing the essays. Many students described the connections between urban nature and built environments, but the results also show that the built environment is especially significant because of its social and cultural aspects. Students described the importance of social bonding and how meeting different sorts of people supports their acceptance of diverse perspectives. Personal experiences and meanings attached to the city, as well as their lack, were mentioned; that is, without these personal bonds, meaningful relations to urban environments cannot be developed. Architecture, aesthetics, and soundscapes were also mentioned. In addition, it was expressed that feeling safe in the built environment is important. In urban environmental education, it is therefore important to pay attention to the social and cultural aspects, too, and not just to the ecological dimension. It is crucial that children and young people have access to the city in order to construct their personal relationships with the built environment.

Sharing and liking as youth nano-level participation. Finnish students’ civic and political engagement in social media

ABSTRACT This study examines the types and prevalence of Finnish students’ civic and political online participation such as posting, commenting, sharing or liking social media posts. We focus particularly on the use of Facebook like and share buttons for civic and political purposes, which we conceptualize as ‘nano-level participation’ and discuss in light of the debate on ‘slacktivism’. Our data comes from a classroom survey among 194 Finnish university students of social and political sciences and philosophy in 2017–2018. The data thus describe the using habits of a social media vanguard – young Finns who live and breathe social media and who are interested in social and political issues. Our results reveal the persisting importance of Facebook as a platform for youth engagement and emphasize the prevalence and significance of nano-level participation as a neglected form of youth online engagement.