Elina Kuusisto

Finnish Teachers’ Ethical Sensitivity

The study examined the ethical sensitivity of Finnish teachers (𝑁=864) using a 28-item Ethical Sensitivity Scale Questionnaire (ESSQ). The psychometric qualities of this instrument were analyzed, as were the differences in self-reported ethical sensitivity between practicing and student teachers and teachers of different subjects. The results showed that the psychometric qualities of the ESSQ were satisfactory and enabled the use of an explorative factor analysis. All Finnish teachers rated their level of ethical sensitivity as high, which indicates that they had internalized the ethical professionalism of teaching. However, practicing teachers’ assessments were higher than student teachers’. Moreover, science as a subject was associated with lower self-ratings of ethical sensitivity.

Finnish Teachers' Conceptions of Giftedness.

This article presents two independent studies of Finnish teachers’ conceptions of giftedness and considers whether it is a malleable or fixed quality. The first qualitative study examined elementary school teachers’ (N = 212) conceptions via inductive-oriented content analysis, whereas the second study measured teachers’ (elementary n = 184, secondary n = 279) conceptions with a quantitative approach. According to teachers’ open-ended definitions, giftedness was seen to be multidimensional and a characteristic that differentiates the person from others. Giftedness was also described via cognitive, creative, and motivational features of the gifted. Furthermore, the two independent studies suggest quite different views on how Finnish teachers understand the developmental nature of giftedness: The first indicates that the developmental nature of giftedness was not frequently mentioned, whereas the second found that a malleable view of giftedness (i.e., a growth mindset) was dominant. Thus, this article highlights a need for in-depth and mixed-methods research designs to study how teachers see the developing nature of giftedness.

Is Ethical Sensitivity in Teaching Culturally Bound? Comparing Finnish and Iranian Teachers' Ethical Sensitivity.

In this study, we investigated the culture-invariant and culture-dependent nature of teachers’ ethical sensitivity in two countries. Our case study involves teachers from Finland (n = 864) representing Western culture, and from Iran (n = 556) representing Eastern culture. Culturally bound elements of ethical sensitivity were studied with the Ethical Sensitivity Scale Questionnaire. The analyses revealed that ‘Caring by connecting to others’ is a central, culturally invariant dimension of ethical sensitivity in both cultures. In the dimensions of ethical sensitivity, the dimension of ‘Taking the perspective of others’ is particularly dependent on culture, given the differences in the cultural dimensions of power distance and the collectivity of the countries studied.

Interaction in Educational Domains

In this volume, we take a holistic approach to education, viewing human beings as lifelong learners who need interaction in all educational domains – cognitive, affective, psychomotor – to actualize their full potential. The chapters are based on presentations given at the 2012 conference of the Finnish Educational Research Association (FERA), whose theme was Interaction in Educational Research. Prof. David Clarke, from the University of Melbourne in Australia and the conference’s keynote speaker, opens our symposium with a discussion of international comparative research in educational interaction by constructing and concealing differences. The chapters that follow, arranged in three parts, deal with interaction in cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. In Part I, theoretical and philosophical approaches to interaction are examined through ontological, epistemological, and semiotic perspectives. Part II presents a series of empirical studies on educational interaction. Together, these show regional differences in cognitive and psychomotor learning outcomes, the importance of academic emotions in learning, cultural aspects in understanding the visual arts, and interactive learning for gifted science students. Part III introduces three programs that promote educational interaction: one enhances teacher education with interdisciplinary integration; another explores the benefits of Finnish-Russian cooperation; and a third uses musical concerts as an interactive tool for special education. All of the chapters contribute to the current research and discussion on learning and interaction. In this field inquiries need to be carried out in different learning domains and in various cultural contexts. In particular, cross-cultural comparisons are useful in validating the findings of empirical studies and testing the culture-dependent and culture-invariant dimensions of educational interaction.

Gender variance in interreligious sensitivity among Finnish pupils

This paper examines gender variance in the interreligious sensitivity among Finnish children and youth using a non-probability sample of 1000 Finnish lower secondary school pupils representing the age group 12–16. The data were gathered in three geographical locations: the capital city of Helsinki area, and two smaller municipalities in other parts of the country. The pupils’ self-reported attitudes towards interreligious sensitivity were measured using the Interreligious Sensitivity Scale. The results showed significant variation between the genders in the pupils’ interreligious sensitivity. Also geographical variance (city of residence) and pupils’ religious affiliation influenced their interreligious sensitivity.

Teachers’ Implicit Meaning Systems and Their Implications for Pedagogical Thinking and Practice: A Case Study from Finland

ABSTRACT This qualitative case study examines teachers’ implicit meaning systems built around their core beliefs on the malleability of human qualities. Previous research has demonstrated the influence of students’ implicit theories on motivation and achievement and has presented successful interventions for students. However, research on teachers’ implicit theories and, in particular, their actualization in natural environments is lacking. The data for this study include observations and stimulated recall interviews with two Finnish teachers whose opposing implicit theories were first indicated in 2000 by Carol Dweck . The results depict how these teachers’ implicit meaning systems influence their ways of interpreting students’ behavior, learning, and achievements, which in turn guide teachers’ pedagogical thinking as well as their practices for motivating the students. However, these Finnish teachers’ implicit theories also appear to be intertwined with culture-bound assumptions, and the classroom implementation of these theories was observed to vary situationally.

Finnish and Iranian teachers’ views on their competence to teach purpose

Abstract This paper examines Finnish (n = 464) and Iranian (n = 556) teachers’ views on their competence to teach purpose. ‘Purpose’ is defined as a stable intention to accomplish something that is both meaningful to the self and of consequence beyond the self over time. The study revealed that all Iranian teachers evaluated their competence for teaching purpose as being high, regardless of the subject taught. In contrast, among Finnish teachers, there were statistically significant relationships between the subject taught and teachers’ self-perceptions: religious education seemed to provide a subject in which Finnish teachers can guide students to consider explicitly their purpose in life and plans for the future, while science and mathematics appeared to offer the most challenging contexts for teaching purpose. Hence, the results challenge Finnish in-service and pre-service teacher education programmes to create new approaches and new cultures for mathematics and science education, which intentionally take into account the moral aspects of teaching. Moreover, regression analysis revealed that teachers’ ethical sensitivity predicted their views on teaching purpose in both countries. Results indicate that improving teachers’ ethical sensitivity skills in teacher education programmes could provide a significant path for supporting teachers’ competence in teaching purpose.

Finnish student teachers’ perceptions on the role of purpose in teaching

Abstract This study identifies the nature of the purposes that Finnish student teachers of different subjects (N = 372) have for teaching and how these perceptions could inform teacher education. Earlier studies have shown that both American and Finnish students have found the role of their teachers to be very important in teaching and learning purpose. Finnish student teachers have also been found to be purposeful in their teaching. The data for this study were gathered in 2013 with quantitative questionnaires measuring different elements of purpose, such as purpose identification, goal-directedness, beyond-the-self orientation, and competence to teach purpose. Using K-Cluster analysis, four purpose profiles were identified among student teachers: Purposeful, Dabblers, Dreamers, and Disengaged. Student teachers of religious education were found to be the most purposeful in their profiles, while student teachers of mathematics differed from the others, with more than 40% having a Disengaged profile. The results indicate that student teachers of mathematics need special support for their purpose development, as well as education in purposeful teaching.

How Is Interreligious Sensitivity Related to Finnish Pupils' Religiousness Profiles?.

This paper examines, through a non-probability sample of 451 Finnish lower secondary-school pupils belonging to the 15- to 16-year-old age group, how interreligious sensitivity is related to religiousness profiles of Finnish youth. The data were gathered in two geographical locations: Helsinki, Finland’s capital, and a smaller municipality in the western part of Finland. The pupils’ self-reported attitudes to interreligious sensitivity were measured using the Interreligious Sensitivity Scale Questionnaire IRRSSQ. The four religiousness profiles identified were strongly religious, culturally religious, personally religious and non-religious. The profiles were related to pupils’ interreligious sensitivity. The non-religious group’s interreligious sensitivity differed from the other profiles, as these pupils were more in denial and less at the level of acceptance. The results of the study are discussed in the context of the Finnish religious landscape.

The core of religious education: Finnish student teachers’ pedagogical aims

This article investigated the core of religious education (RE) by examining Finnish student teachers’ pedagogical aims in the context of Lutheran RE. The data consisted of essays (N=82) analysed in a deductive manner using the main concepts of the didactic triangle together with the aims of the Finnish National Core Curriculum. The student teachers identified familiarising oneself with one’s own and other religions in addition to growing ethically and understanding the religious dimension of life as the core goals of RE. By attaining these goals, pupils may also achieve the higher order aims of RE and cross-curricular goals of the curriculum. A teacher’s pedagogical and moral competence as well as expertise in subject matter was emphasised, and the pedagogical relation with students was also seen as important. A deeper understanding of pupils and the importance of a didactic relation in teaching were identified as pedagogical aims that need to be pursued further.