Pupils’ performance in managing the holistic craft process

The Finnish National Board of Education assessed learning outcomes in the final 9th grade of basic education in 2010. This assessment included a design task that involved testing the management of the holistic craft process (HCP), a test of theoretical knowledge and an attitude test. This article revisits the national assessment from a new perspective: to what extent do pupils have the competence to manage HCP, theoretical knowledge and what stand do they take towards the crafts subject in their attitudes? The more specific research questions strive to address: to what extent does theoretical knowledge and attitudes determine the managing of HCP? Is the performance in managing this process dependent on gender and earlier craft studies? This research focuses on a central concept: the competence to manage HCP. The assessment data was marked off into tasks that indicated the managing of HCP (n = 661 out of the sample N = 4,792). K-means cluster analysis, linear regression analysis, crosstabs with the Chi-squared test, and Spearman’s rank order correlation coefficient were used as a methodological solution. The central observation is that three different groups of pupils managed HCP, the theoretical knowledge and the attitudes. These groups are: the positive achievers (43 %), the positive underachievers (29 %) and the negative underachievers (28 %). In addition the performance in managing HCP cannot be determined by the theoretical knowledge and the attitudes in crafts at all, but is rather related to gender and earlier craft studies.Peer reviewe

Warehousing in Europe – Northern actor perspective

Importance of warehousing has increased during the recent decade and among cost issues, these outlets have become value adding centers; responding to market changes with maximized corporate profitability. Our research concerns Finnish and Swedish companies, and their warehousing decisions in larger Europe. According to our longitudinal survey results, warehousing location in Finnish companies is more weighted towards East, while Swedish companies focus on West. Warehousing size itself will continue to increase, but smaller units have future too. However, most significant changes appear in the location criteria; most of the new establishments will consider road transportation connection, low distribution costs, infrastructure enabling intermodal transportation and availability of third party solutions. Among these assembly and manufacturing plant location plays important role. Overall from survey results it is seen that emerging economies of Europe are explaining quite many development paths, especially among Finnish respondents

Chinese High-speed Railway: Efficiency Comparison and the Future

High-speed railway (HSR) network building was initiated in China in the early 2000s, and full-scale construction began several years later as a larger use phase started in 2008. Thereafter, the expansion speed has been impressive. Network investment could be considered as a success, if evaluating the amount of high-speed railway usage already during the expansion phase. The diffusion models built in this research show that expansion in the network and growth of the passengers will continue at least until the following decade. The performance is evaluated in terms of DEA efficiency model. It is shown that efficiency started from very low levels, but it has been increasing together with the expansion of HSR network. Currently, the efficiency is near the level of the leading European High-speed (HS) countries (Germany and France). However, it is projected with linear model and by Bass diffusion models that the efficiency will reach Japanese and South Korean standards in the next decade. A somewhat larger network length with smaller relative growth of passengers, but with a higher growth of passenger-km seems to be able to reach even the frontier efficiency.</p

Warehousing Location Decision in Northern Europe: Transportation Mode Perspective

Manufacturing employment has continuously declined in developed economies for more than decade time, but service sector in turn has significantly grown. Services also include warehousing, which connects customers and globally concentrated manufacturing units together. In this manuscript we examine location criteria for warehouses in Northern European companies (Finland and Sweden) as well as location of their warehouse network in larger Europe. Our research shows based on multiyear survey that primarily warehouses are established to have: (1) low distribution costs, (2) road transportation connection, and (3) assembly/manufacturing units are near-by. Currently in different contexts is being emphasized intermodal transports, railway connectivity, future potential of location as well as low labour cost are considered to have secondary up to quinary importance. In country level differences we show based on completed surveys that Finnish companies are more active in Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC), while Swedish companies have been extremely cautious with this regard

Sulphur Directive – A New Long-Term Cost Driver for Nordic Export Industry

EU Directive of MARPOL Annex VI and its economic impact on the Nordic paper industry is theme of this research work. Empirical data for analysis purposes was gained from a large Nordic paper mill that exports bulk products mainly to Europe (70 % of its volume). The study shows that in the end the industry&rsquo;s location still has an economical effect, and that the location has a distinct impact on competition through rising transportation costs. Environmental regulation continues and fosters long-term upwards trajectory of transportation cost, which has been experienced by the paper mill earlier during years 2001-2009.&nbsp;</p

Pupils’ performance in managing the holistic craft process

The Finnish National Board of Education assessed learning outcomes in the final 9th grade of basic education in 2010. This assessment included a design task that involved testing the management of the holistic craft process (HCP), a test of theoretical knowledge and an attitude test. This article revisits the national assessment from a new perspective: to what extent do pupils have the competence to manage HCP, theoretical knowledge and what stand do they take towards the crafts subject in their attitudes? The more specific research questions strive to address: to what extent does theoretical knowledge and attitudes determine the managing of HCP? Is the performance in managing this process dependent on gender and earlier craft studies? This research focuses on a central concept: the competence to manage HCP. The assessment data was marked off into tasks that indicated the managing of HCP (n = 661 out of the sample N = 4,792). K-means cluster analysis, linear regression analysis, crosstabs with the Chi-squared test, and Spearman’s rank order correlation coefficient were used as a methodological solution. The central observation is that three different groups of pupils managed HCP, the theoretical knowledge and the attitudes. These groups are: the positive achievers (43 %), the positive underachievers (29 %) and the negative underachievers (28 %). In addition the performance in managing HCP cannot be determined by the theoretical knowledge and the attitudes in crafts at all, but is rather related to gender and earlier craft studies.</p

New Environmental Demands and the Future of the Helsinki−Tallinn Freight Route

The environmental friendliness of short sea shipping has been justified in Europe by the ensuing lower congestion at hinterlands and unneeded large-scale infrastructure investments on roads and railways. However, the attractiveness of short sea shipping is about to change. This is because of increasing environmental regulations (International Maritime Organization (IMO) sulfur regulation in the Baltic Sea and planned CO2 emissions trading) and increased world market oil prices. In this research, we analyze this potential change using data envelopment analysis on the existing transportation chain alternatives in the Helsinki (Finland)−Tallinn (Estonia) short sea route (chains using either roro, ropax or container ships). The analysis also includes the planned railway tunnel between the two cities. On the basis of our findings, the current truck and semi-trailer-based transportation is challenged by containers, irrespective of how they are carried (ship type). In the long term, for reasons of emissions and oil independency, the possibility of tunnel construction would make it vital to have container ship operations available along this route. The forthcoming change is not radical, but rather evolutionary and long term oriented

The Validity of the School Assessment in the Craft Subject

In this article, holistic craft is examined with the help of the literature of craft science and the National Core Curriculum in Finland (2004). The different stages of holistic craft are brought out as a didactic guide which directs the teaching of craft in basic education. In addition, assessment criteria direct craft teachers in assessing all the stages of holistic craft in school assessment. The empirical examination can be crystallized in the following research question: To what extent do pupils’ different skills in the different stages of holistic craft determine the school assessment of crafts? The research data was collected during the school year 2013-2014. Altogether 73 craft teachers from 59 schools participated in this research. The project was directed toward 7th-grade pupils in basic education. The data of pupils (N = 982) represent the quantita-tive research method. The indicator is an application from the ready-made design task indicator which was used by the Finnish National Board of Education during the national assessment of craft in 2010. The central methodological solution is the Linear regression analysis by the enter method. The central observation is that the pupils’ skills in the different stages of holistic craft do not determine the grades of the school assessment in the 7th grade in all respects. In addition the craft teachers' views on the skills of the pupils during the 7th grade do not determine the final grades in the 6th grade of the lower level at all. The craft teachers' views on the skills of the pupils are not based on the idea of holistic craft in all respects. The instructions and criteria, in accordance with the National Core Curriculum in Finland (2004), must be taken into the school assessment at the practical level.In this research project, the validity of the school assessment is examined in the craft subject in Finland’s basic education. The criteria for the school assessment are based on the Finnish Na-tional Core Curriculum (FNCC) in which the idea of the Entire Craft (EC) is highlighted. How-ever, the discussion as to whether or not the school practice is based on the idea of EC, or whether the teachers are still focused on the technical details of products in reflecting on the pupils’ tool-handling skills, is still an ongoing debate. Learner-centred learning is implicated in EC since the pupils are expected to set goals for the implementation of their own ideating, plan-ning and constructing. And, finally, in such a process, the self-reflection of the implemented out-comes against the goals will take place. Altogether 73 craft teachers from 59 upper level schools participated in this research project. The pupils’ (N = 982) success was assessed during an EC period using the indicator validated by the previous nation-wide evaluation by the Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE). Since the valid school assessment was expected to reflect the success in the Entire Craft Assess-ment Period (ECAP), the outcomes were assessed against the criteria of the FNCC and com-pared to the pupils’ school scores. The data was analysed using the Linear Regression Analysis (Enter Method). The central observation was that the pupils’ success in the criteria of the EC do not reflect the 7th grade school scores, in all respects. Moreover, the pupils’ success does not reflect the 6th grade school scores. The instructions and supplementary education of the FNCC criteria are needed for craft teachers, especially for class teachers at the lower level. In Finland, also the craft subject is taught by the class teachers at the lower level while, at the upper level, the subject teachers take their place. According to the new FNCC, the number of class lessons will be diminished at the upper level and increased at the lower level. This might challenge the assessment in the craft subject in basic education. Special attention should be paid to the school assessment in 2016, at the latest, when the new National Core Curriculum comes into force.Peer reviewe