This study explored the moral reasoning and scientific argumentation skills of 31 gifted Finnish adolescents participating in a science program at the University of Helsinki. Students were given the Defining Issues Test (DIT) to determine their level of moral reasoning and the Raven test to evaluate their scientific reasoning. The argumentation…

Linnakyla examines definitions of literacy as an object of individual and social development and compares concepts of knowledge and literacy. Gronholm advocates the effectiveness of parents reading aloud to their children for 15 minutes per day in the improvement of children's reading skills. (SK)

Part of an ongoing longitudinal research project, a study was made to develop a method and a multilevel model for evaluating at its earliest stages the relationship between a mother and her child. The main hypothesis of the study was that the early mother-child relationship, consisting of maternal responses and a mother's images of her role in…

Two components of life orientation emerged in study of 145 men and 142 women at age 26: Positive Orientation (PO), which included self-percepts of personal control over development; and Motivated Questioning (MQ), which consisted of identity exploration and dissatisfaction with present achievements. In comparison with MQ, PO was more strongly…

In a longitudinal study of socialization processes, 182 Finnish students were asked--at ages 15 and 18--about the importance of schooling. At both ages 164 subjects considered schooling had terminal/instrumental value. By age 18 differences in other variables formed a consistent pattern, suggestive of two different life orientations toward…

These nine articles deal with basic philosophical questions concerned with the general nature of sloyd or with the educational aspect of sloyd. (Sloyd, derived from a Swedish word, is an umbrella term for making or crafting things by hand.) They report research on cultural questions related to goals and contents, ranging from sociocultural…

This paper discusses the need for the renewal of teacher education programs in Finland in order to bring practicing professionals into contact with new knowledge and ideas. To inject new knowledge requires a theoretical understanding of the mechanism of professional change and the process of evaluating professional development. The central factor…

The role of formal education as a disseminator of new information and producer of significant learning experiences has been continuously diminishing. Interest is growing in learning that occurs in the informal action environments of everyday life and workplaces. Informal learning occurs in varied places and by varied means. Work teaches…

The purpose of the study was to describe school nurses' (N=24) and teachers' (N=25) opinions of how the health-related goals in their counselling and instruction were attained and to find out the possible differences between the two groups in the Finnish European Network of Health Promoting Schools. The data were collected by a questionnaire and…

These proceedings are comprised of 23 presentations on research in European vocational education and human resource development. Papers include "Developing Information and Communication Technology Capability in Higher Education in the United Kingdom (UK)" (Nick Boreham); "Methodological Issues in the Study of Organizational…