Analyzed sleep-wake schedules and nap times in multiage infant-toddler groups through three case studies in Finnish day care centers. Found complex interactions among family daily patterns, day care patterns, and young children's sleep disturbances. Identified major differences in day care practices regarding sleep quality related to timing,…

Possible developments in Finnish adult vocational education were explored through a survey of 117 adult educators. Three scenarios of future development were identified: (1) increase in provision of education; (2) rapid change by adult education institutions to meet demand; and (3) little change in environment and practice. (SLD)

This study set out to test the major criticisms of Burton Clark's book "Creating Entrepreneurial Universities: organisational pathways of transformation" (1998). Both Deem (2001) and Smith (1999) criticise Clark on the grounds that he interviewed only a selection of senior staff in the institutions he surveyed and, hence, did not get a…

Recent studies on student learning in higher education have paid attention to the relationships between characteristics of the learning environment and students' study orientations and study success. The purpose of the present paper is to examine these relationships in university level engineering education. The data were collected from…

We examined what events cause emotional reactions when students use a web-based learning environment (WBLE) in their studies, and how the emotions experienced while using the WBLE, emotion regulation strategies and computer self-efficacy are related to collaborative activities in the environment. Lability of emotional reactions and their…

Each child In Finland and in Estonia receives preschool training for a year before going to school, based on a new national framework curriculum of preschool education. The aim of the present study was to compare children's learning achievements in nine target areas, based on the teacher's evaluations at the end of the preschool year, in both…

The alternating and mixed use of Swedish and Finnish and special trade slang in three relatively small firms (employing a total of 678 employees, 40 percent of whom were Swedish-speaking, 56 percent Finnish-speaking, and 4 percent bilingual) in the bilingual city of Vasa, Finland was analyzed. (CB)

Social problem solving, effectance motivation, and information processing were studied with 38 Finnish eight-year olds using the LOGO computer programming language learned through discovery learning. Results suggest that LOGO promotes the development of problem-solving skills if each student receives sufficient support from the teacher. (SLD)

Two case studies from a Finnish university examined how innovative student teaching practicums and their contexts would affect student teachers' professional knowledge. Data from interviews with students, student reports, and student narratives indicated that the experience made them critically examine their often tacit assumptions and restructure…

This longitudinal study examined the development of expertise as a situational and contextual process among nine student teachers during their 3-year enrollment in a kindergarten training college in Finland. The research report is based on observations of student teaching, interviews with the student teachers, and student teacher diaries.…

Three papers exploring facets of the teaching process are presented in this report. The papers are part of the Didactic Process Analysis (DPA) Helsinki research project. The DPA research team, composed of educators investigating instructional processes, has, since 1967, examined taxonomies and classifications of teaching processes. The first…

The purpose of the study was to describe Finnish children's conceptions of aspects of the adult world and the development of the structure of children's thinking. Ninety boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 10 were interviewed individually. Each child was asked a minimum of 15 questions in each of the following subject areas: 1) war and peace;…

Analysis of georeferenced population data for Finland, 1970-2000, showed that rural youth, particularly rural young women, have been moving out of sparsely populated areas to growth centers and more densely populated areas in general. Interview data from young people included attitudes toward migration versus staying put, usually related to…

Reports on an observation study of the discourse activities for one day of a Finnish business manager who works in a multinational corporation. His discourse activities were tape recorded and copies were taken of written materials. Examined salient features that characterize discourse activities in a multinational corporation and tested the…

This paper is a case study on the use of active learning techniques in an upper-level engineering course at the Helsinki University of Technology. The paper describes how these techniques were introduced and successfully used within the Finnish university classroom. The cultural subtext is explored and attention is given to teaching techniques…