"Higher education at a crossroad: The case of Estonia"

Raamatututvustus annab ülevaate artiklikogumikust "Higher education at a crossroad: The case of Estonia". Raamat keskendub muutustele, mis on Eesti kõrghariduses toimunud viimase paarikümne aasta jooksul, samuti eesseisvatele ülesannetele, mille need muutused on endaga kaasa toonud. Kogumik esindab multidistsiplinaarset koostööprojekti, sest uuringute läbiviijad ja artiklite autorid on kasvatusteadlased, psühholoogid, majandusteadlased ja sotsioloogid kolmest Eesti kõrgkoolist

Estonia - Highly Unequal but Classless?

"In this short essay, we try to assess the utility of class analyses for understanding the contemporary Estonian society. Erik Wright (2009) identifi es three strands of class analysis: a stratification approach, a Weberian approach and a Marxist approach. We address the following questions: Which kind of class analysis is most present in Estonia today? Which is most needed? The main conclusion is that due to this marginalisation of class discourse, as well as the power of national/ ethnic discourse and transitional culture, those most economically vulnerable were deprived of the cultural and discursive resources to resist the most the extreme market-oriented policies. The conditions for structuration of class relations were created, while the class and inequality discourse was marginalised." (author's abstract

Change and Continuity: Adaption of Persons Working in the Secondary Sector During the Period of Socio-Economic Reforms in the 1990s in Estonia

"The aim of this paper is to analyse the interrelationship between the structural changes and personal destinies of people who worked in the secondary sector at the beginning of the transition period. The focal question is whether structural and institutional changes were brought about by a minimum of adaptations and fluctuations or a by maximum of turbulence and mobility. The paper is based on indepth interviews conducted in 2003 and 2004 with people who graduated from secondary educational institutions in 1983 and belong to the so-called ‘winners’ cohort. One of the pivotal results of the analysis is that when companies were winding down and being reorganised, it launched processes of intercompany workers’ displacement and lead to their imminent unemployment. Individuals changed their plans and behaviour because they had to adapt. Opportunities proved to be less a matter of individual control and planning, than of unfavourable structural conditions. A work place in the secondary sector often worked as a ‘push’ factor for mobility during the reforms, as massive layoffs and restructuring in the economy did not leave any other choices for people than to start looking for new possibilities. In spite of some attempts to set up businesses, the majority of former industrial workers belong to the same occupational group and are working in the same sector, even 15 years after the reforms. This means that the relative occupational ranking of the workers remained the same despite the change in the political and social order." (author's abstract

Estonia – Highly Unequal but Classless?

In this short essay, we try to assess the utility of class analyses for understanding the contemporary Estonian society. Erik Wright (2009) identifi es three strands of class analysis: a stratifi cation approach, a Weberian approach and a Marxist approach. We address the following questions: Which kind of class analysis is most present in Estonia today? Which is most needed? The main conclusion is that due to this marginalisation of class discourse, as well as the power of national/ethnic discourse and transitional culture, those most economically vulnerable were deprived of the cultural and discursive resources to resist the most the extreme market-oriented policies. The conditions for structuration of class relations were created, while the class and inequality discourse was marginalised

THE IMPACT OF LIFE-COURSE SOCIO-ECONOMIC POSITION ON QUALITY OF LIFE AT LATER AGES : EVIDENCE FROM ESTONIA

This study, guided by life-course theory and cumulative (dis)advantage theory, investigates the impact of the accumulation of socio-economic advantages and disadvantages, over the life course, on the quality of life (QoL) of the older population, and the mediating role of their current financial distress. In our study, we focus on the accumulation model. The study primarily uses data from Estonia in wave 4 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), with supplemental data from wave 5. Linear regression models were calculated based on two measures of quality of life : CASP-12 and life satisfaction. When measured by CASP-12, the socio-economic position in adulthood seems to play a more important role than that of childhood for the current quality of life of older people and even seems to compensate for it slightly when the current financial distress level is controlled for. However, when measured by life satisfaction, accumulated socio-economic (dis)advantages, especially in early youth, have a greater impact on the current quality of life of older people. It is important to acknowledge that different measures of QoL might yield different results.Este estudo, orientado pelas teorias do curso de vida e das (des)vantagens cumulativas, investiga o impacto da acúmulação de vantagens e desvantagens socioeconómicas ao longo da vida na qualidade de vida (QdV) da população idosa e o papel mediador das suas dificuldades financeiras atuais. O estudo focou-se no modelo de acumulação e foram utilizados dados da Estónia em especial na 4ª vaga do SHARE (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe), com dados suplementares da 5ª vaga. Modelos de regressão linear foram calculados com base em duas medidas de qualidade de vida : CASP-12 e satisfação de vida. Quando medida por CASP-12, a posição socioeconómica na vida adulta parece desempenhar um papel mais importante do que na infância para a qualidade de vida atual das pessoas idosas, e até parece compensá-lo ligeiramente quando o nível atual de dificuldade financeira é controlado. No entanto, quando medida pela satisfação de vida, as (des)vantagens socioeconómicas acumuladas, sobretudo no início da juventude, têm um maior impacto na qualidade de vida atual das pessoas idosas. Diferentes medidas de QdV podem produzir resultados diferentes a que é necessário prestar atenção

Mittetraditsiooniline tudeng kõrgkoolis

Primus projekti Õppija 2.0 uuring.Käesolev uuringuaruanne on üles ehitatud järgnevalt. Kõigepealt anname ülevaate uuringu kontseptuaalsest taustast ja analüüsi aluseks olevatest andmetest. Seejärel tutvustame empiirilise analüüsi tulemusi, seda kolmes osas. Esmalt kirjeldame, keda kõrgkoolide esindajad peavad oma õppeprogrammi sihtgrupiks ja kuidas kõrgkoolid üldse näevad mittetraditsioonilist õppijat. Seejärel analüüsime õppimisvõimaluste kättesaadavust, arvestades täiskasvanud õppijate kogemust ja kõrvutades seda kõrgkoolide esindajate intervjuudest kuulduga. Kolmandas osas lahkame põhjalikumalt vahetut õpikeskkonda ja õpetamisprotsessi, tuginedes siingi ühelt poolt täiskasvanud õppijate kogemusele ja teisalt koolide esindajate intervjuudele. Uuringu põhijäreldused toome ära kokkuvõttes. Uuring annab teavet õpetamisprotsessi kujundamiseks ja hariduspoliitiliste otsuste langetamiseks nii kõrgkooli kui riigi tasemel, et selle kaudu arendada kolmanda taseme õppe kvaliteeti lähtuvalt elukestval õppel põhineva ühiskonna vajadustest

Oskused ja elukestev õpe: Kellelt ja mida on Eestil oskuste parandamiseks õppida? PIAAC uuringu temaatiline aruanne nr 2

Arusaam õppimisest kui noorte kohustusest ja privileegist ei vasta tänapäeva kiiresti muutuva maailma nõudmistele. Euroopa Liit on aktiivselt asunud edendama täiskasvanute õppimist ja seadnud oluliseks prioriteediks suurendada elukestvas õppes osalemist. Selle taga on arusaam, et täiskasvanute õppes osalemine on kasulik nii sotsiaalses kui ka majanduslikus plaanis nii osalejatele endile kui ka ühiskonnale laiemalt, kuna see tõstab nii tootlikkust kui ka hõivet tööturul. Rahvusvaheline täiskasvanute oskuste uuring PIAAC (Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies) pakub võrreldes varasemate andmebaasidega mitu täiendavat võimalust. Kuna uuring mõõtis lisaks haridustasemele ka kolme liiki oskusi (funktsionaalset lugemisoskust, matemaatilist kirjaoskust ja probleemilahendusoskust tehnoloogiarikkas kesk konnas), siis on võimalik uurida, kuivõrd mõjutavad elukestvas õppes osalemist oskused ja haridus eraldiseisvalt. Et PIAACi küsimustikus oli ka mahukas osa, mis mõõtis erinevate oskuste kasutamist tööl, annab see lisaks võimaluse analüüsida, kuivõrd mõjutavad elukestvas õppes osalemist nn pakkumise poole karakteristikud, st inimeste oskused ja haridustase, ning kuivõrd olulised on nn nõudlust iseloomustavad näitajad (eelkõige töö oskustemahukus)