A total of 148 Finnish adolescents were interviewed about their hopes for the future. The content, extension, internality, and actualization levels of each hope were estimated from the adolescents' answers. Scores measuring the level of future planning and internality were calculated from questionnaires filled out by 138 of the mothers. Results…

Using a cross-sectional follow-up study we examined how different aspects of work were valued by three cohorts of adolescents 15-16 years of age in 1977 (n = 231), 1989 (n = 404) and 1995 (n = 276), and how these evaluations changed. The association of values with gender and educational plans was analysed. Self-actualising values became more…

Adult education in Finland is examined as a second chance for those held back through inadequate education. Interviews with 3,990 adults make it clear that the ideal is not being fully realized. The probability of participation in adult education is heavily influenced by social status, cultural capital, and other factors. (SLD)

Provides a brief overview of the Finnish educational system and examines the effects of family educational and socioeconomic background on access to and success in higher education. Data on 1985 and 1990 secondary school graduates and young adults indicated that children tended to aim at the same sort of education and jobs as their parents. (MDM)

The problem of overqualification is related to the educational aspirations in a comparative cross-national study using data collected in opinion surveys in four European countries (Finland, France, Federal Republic of Germany, and Poland) and the United States. (JMF)

The formation of educational preferences was analyzed using log-linear modeling and data from a survey of nearly 4,000 applicants for higher education in Finland in the policy context of new vocational-higher education institutions. High status orientation was the main factor determining the choice of university sector. (SLD)

This study examined situation-specific coping strategies of students with different achievement goals as they take part in inquiry learning. A case study was conducted in a Finnish elementary school. 21 ten-year-old students participated in the study. Two types of data were collected: (1) Students self-reported questionnaires on achievement goals,…

A study described social and gender equality in vocational education, particularly in commercial education, and in working life in Finland. It reflected on educational equality in Finland as a factor in the reforms of vocational education carried out in the 1980s and 1990s and on the link between educational equality/inequality and educational…

Polish and Finnish high school students (n=352) from academic and vocational tracks reported on the future planning they did in different contexts and completed measures of self-esteem and control over the future. Findings suggest that future planning reflects general developmental patterns in both countries, while self-evaluation reflects…