The role of peer relationships in a student's study wellbeing has been emphasised in research. However, the development of functional relationships with peers in educational settings cannot be taken for granted. In this study, we aimed to understand the variations in upper secondary school students' experiences of peer relationships in terms of…

The COVID-19 pandemic has had its impact on research and researchers, and hence potentially on the future of academia. Yet, empirical evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on PhD candidates is limited. This study explores the influences of the pandemic on PhD candidates' progress and wellbeing. In addition, the aim is to identify potentially…

This article explores university students' approaches to and positions with regard to making the most of their study time. The article discusses how various normative societal expectations around students' use and management of time feature in their talk about how they organise their everyday lives. The research is based on thematic interviews (n…

The present study combines two separate research traditions that have been found to explain the way students deal with their university study and other challenges: psychological flexibility and cognitive-attributional strategies. The aim of this study is to explore the interrelationships between students' psychological flexibility,…

In this article, we report from a group (N=98) of students from two campuses of one Finnish university, on their study habits, and to what extent they use different kinds of learning materials in university mathematics courses. Our results show that the older students are more communicative with their teachers, whereas the younger students ask for…

Distance learning is rapidly gaining ground globally. In this case study, we focused on professional (vocational) teacher education (PTE) student online activity in a blended learning context. We applied learning analytics (LA) to identify students' (n = 19) online study patterns. Our key interest was in determining when and what kinds of online…

This article explores university students' constructions of the ideal student at present-day university, that emphasises student-as-consumer culture and employability rather than education as a virtue in itself. The research is based on thematic narrative accounts (n = 67) generated in a generalist field in one regional Finnish university. We…

In recent decades, the massification and diversification of higher education have generated new challenges for the guidance of university students. The present study focuses on students' experiences of guidance in relation to their study progress and perceptions of their learning outcomes. The data (n = 4916) were collected from 2010-2013 through…

Efforts to reach gender equality in education in Finland have been extensive. Both teacher education and policy documents for schools have focused on gender equality and gender-neutral treatment of students. The aim of this study is to explore if and how these efforts are manifested in upper secondary school teachers' and study counsellors'…

Purpose: Digital learning has become a global trend. Partly or fully automatic learning systems are integrated into education in schools and universities on a previously unseen scale. Learning systems have a lot of potential for re-education, life-long learning and for increasing access to educational resources. Learning systems create massive…

Continual conduct problems from adolescence to adulthood comprise a societal concern. Knowledge of school-related triggers and contributors to persistent conduct problems is important but still limited. We explored the role of schoolwork difficulties and being bullied by peers at school in the development of conduct problems, controlling for…

Background: Productive learning processes and good learning outcomes can be attained by applying the basic elements of active learning. The basic elements include fostering discussions and disputations, facing alternative conceptions, and focusing on conceptual understanding. However, in the face of poor course retention and high dropout rates,…

This research details surveys of current Finnish college students and their study habits. In the current project, we surveyed two distinct sets of students in the spring of 2012 (n = 74), and in the spring of 2014 (n = 119). We found that the students studied less than 9 hours per week. We found significant differences between students' study…

The study explored university undergraduates' dilatory behaviour, more precisely, procrastination and strategic delaying. Using qualitative interview data, we applied a theory-driven and person-oriented approach to test the theoretical model of Klingsieck (2013). The sample consisted of 28 Bachelor students whose study pace had been slow during…

This article is based on a study which investigated whether Chinese international students at a university in Finland are more likely to rely on a Surface approach to learning and dismiss a Deep approach than are other international students in the same university educational context. In responding to a survey, students' scores with respect to the…