The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' ethical sensitivity in Finland (N = 255) and Estonia (N = 412). The survey included the quantitative "Ethical Sensitivity Scale Questionnaire" and a qualitative open-ended question about successful teaching. In order to capture its essential characteristics, ethical sensitivity was…

This paper examines Finnish (n = 464) and Iranian (n = 556) teachers' views on their competence to teach purpose. "Purpose" is defined as a stable intention to accomplish something that is both meaningful to the self and of consequence beyond the self over time. The study revealed that all Iranian teachers evaluated their competence for…

With the growing interest in the development of purpose in youth, one important role that requires attention is the school teacher. The current article explores student perceptions of the role teachers can play in fostering purpose in their students in the mid- and late adolescent years, and the teacher competencies that facilitate purpose…

This study compared the culture-dependent attitudes of Finnish teachers (N=147) and American teachers (N=160) toward gifted education. The teachers from both countries represented preservice teachers, regular classroom teachers, and teachers of the gifted. Emphasis was on the relationship of attitude to culture from which the teacher came. The…

This study investigated differences across four countries in the amount and nature of above-average ability and average-ability pre-adolescents' everyday life, scientific, moral, spiritual and religious questions. The participants (N = 975) of this study were fifth-and sixth-grade elementary school students from different schools in Finland (N =…

This study investigated the problem of applying a single model in international cross-cultural studies of effective classroom teaching. The context of the social-efficiency tradition was used as a framework for understanding how teacher education is reflected in actual teaching behaviors. The model chosen for study was the Developmental Teacher…

The purpose of this study was to explore an American model (Harris 1986) of effective classroom teaching behaviors as a framework for teachers' professional growth. The particular focus was on the self-assessment component of the methods related to the model. An empirical approach was adopted, and comparative data were gathered from American and…