This study investigates how self-efficacy and motivation predict students' science literacy and career expectations above and beyond their socioeconomic status. A structural equation model built on self-determination theory and self-efficacy was examined using PISA 2015 data from Finland and Japan. The study sample is 5882 and 6647 15-year-old…

The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine how adolescents' school burnout profiles relate to perceived learning difficulties and delayed graduation in upper secondary education. Adolescents (N = 485, mean age 15.7 years) living in a mid-sized city in Finland completed questionnaires during their upper secondary education in either the…

This is a case study of a one-year arts educational project 'I -- from dreams to reality' in which artists worked at school with teachers and learning at the school was planned through arts-based, co-operative teamwork during one extra school year of 10th grade students in Finnish basic education. The theme of the year was 'I', and so the project…

This study explores the long-term effects of difficulties in reading and mathematical skills on educational achievement and successful graduation from secondary education as well as the role of special education in successful graduation. Study participants were all 16-year-old ninth graders from one Finnish city (N = 595; 302 females, 293 males)…

As institutions, science and science education alike have rarely included the perspectives and contributions of indigenous peoples pertaining to the natural world. Yet, people worldwide have benefited from the traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous communities. Western science and technology, though broadly worthwhile, have been a source…

Lay conceptions of energy often conflict with scientific knowledge, hinder science learning and scientific literacy, and provide a basis for ungrounded beliefs. In a sample of Finnish upper secondary school students, energy was attributed with features of living and animate beings and thought of as a mental property. These ontologically confused…

This paper presents the conclusions of a study, carried out in collaboration with schools in six European countries, which focused on tomorrow's physical learning environments. The study, which stemmed from a project entitled Forum for the Future and which was funded by the Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE), was designed to contribute to…