Primary Students’ Experiences of Remote Learning during COVID-19 School Closures: A Case Study of Finland

The remote learning period that took place due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 was a novel experience for many students, teachers and guardians in Finland and globally. To be prepared for similar occasions in the future and to support all students appropriately, it is important to be aware of students’ experiences. In this study, instant video blogging (IVB) was used to collect primary school students’ first-hand reports of their emotions in remote learning situations. Through an experience sampling method, 23 Finnish fifth-grade students (aged 11–12 years) took part in IVB during the remote learning period 18 March 2020–13 May 2020. Students’ expressions related to negative emotional experiences were more diverse than those related to positive ones. Nice was the most often reported positive evaluation related to studying. The most often reported negative feelings were bored and irritated, and the most often reported negative aspects related to learning were difficult tasks or not having learned anything. Towards the end of the research period, positive mentions about returning to school increased. The IVB method offered direct insight into how primary students experienced the remote learning period, which can support preparation for exceptional periods in the future and the development of digital learning solutions

Primary Students’ Experiences of Remote Learning during COVID-19 School Closures: A Case Study of Finland

The remote learning period that took place due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 was a novel experience for many students, teachers and guardians in Finland and globally. To be prepared for similar occasions in the future and to support all students appropriately, it is important to be aware of students’ experiences. In this study, instant video blogging (IVB) was used to collect primary school students’ first-hand reports of their emotions in remote learning situations. Through an experience sampling method, 23 Finnish fifth-grade students (aged 11–12 years) took part in IVB during the remote learning period 18 March 2020–13 May 2020. Students’ expressions related to negative emotional experiences were more diverse than those related to positive ones. Nice was the most often reported positive evaluation related to studying. The most often reported negative feelings were bored and irritated, and the most often reported negative aspects related to learning were difficult tasks or not having learned anything. Towards the end of the research period, positive mentions about returning to school increased. The IVB method offered direct insight into how primary students experienced the remote learning period, which can support preparation for exceptional periods in the future and the development of digital learning solutions

Editorial

NorDiNa Special issue: the 11th Nordic Research Symposium on Science Education (NFSUN) in Helsinki June 2014.Non peer reviewe

Finnish teachers’ professionalism is built in teacher education and supported by school site

Lavonen, J., Korhonen, T., & Juuti, K. (2015). Finnish teachers’ professionalism is built in teacher education and supported by school site. The Hungarian Educational Research Journal, 5(1). http://herj.lib.unideb.hu/megjelent/html/56152b05d8821 This paper introduces and analyses education of professional teachers and support of school site to this professionalism in Finnish education context. First, the aims and content of teacher education is analysed and discussed. Three main areas, crucial to the professionalism of teachers were recognised to be: teachers’ knowledge base, their willingness and skill to collaboration and partnership and, moreover, willingness and skillto life-long-learning. Second, the school site support to teacher professionalism is analysed theoretically and empirically and discussed. Versatile leadership, teachers’ professionalism, meaningful learning, versatile physical and virtual learning environments and, moreover, the versatile use of networks and partnerships of the school were recognised as important for teacher professionalism.Peer reviewe

Tutkiva opiskelu fysiikassa ja kemiassa

Aineisto on Opiskelijakirjaston digitoimaa ja Opiskelijakirjasto vastaa aineiston käyttöluvist

A comparative analysis of PISA scientific literacy framework in Finnish and Thai science curricula

A curriculum is a master plan that regulates teaching and learning. This paper compares Finnish and Thai primary school level science curricula to the PISA 2006 Scientific Literacy Framework. Curriculum comparison was made following the procedure of deductive content analysis. In the analysis, there were four main categories adopted from PISA framework: (1) knowledge of science (content knowledge), (2) knowledge about science, (3) competences, and (4) contexts. The analysis revealed that the Thai curriculum was more similar to the PISA framework than was the Finnish curriculum. The Thai curriculum emphasizes the scientific process and the Finnish curriculum the concepts and contexts in which these concepts meet, rather than the process.Peer reviewe

Learning enhancing emotions predict student retention : Multilevel emotions of Finnish university physics students in and outside learning situations

Research on student retention in higher education (HE) physics could benefit by studying emotions in the context of engagement and learning. However, popular retention theories include only a narrow selection of emotions, creating a need to look elsewhere. In this study, we borrow the lens of an affective engagement model, the framework of an optimal learning moment, which has rarely been used in HE research so far. It defines situational engagement and three categories of learning enhancing, detracting, or accelerating emotions via twelve singular situational emotions. These twelve emotions in learning and other situations form intensive longitudinal data collected from twenty students using the experience sampling method (ESM) during their first two months of studying physics in a Finnish university. A two -level hierarchical dataset consisting of ESM measures (N1 = 440) and student records (N2 = 20), with gender as a background factor, are analyzed in two steps: first with hierarchical linear modeling, followed by multinomial logistic regression, giving results on both levels of the hierarchy, which is quite uncommon still. The results show how situational engagement and learning situations are separately connected to situational emotions and, further, how especially the learning enhancing emotions connect to success in courses (passing, grades) and first year student retention, surpassing the effect of course success.Peer reviewe

Overcoming Learning Difficulties with Smartphones in an Inclusive Primary Science Class

This paper examines how pupils with learning difficulties (LDs) used smartphones as supportive learning tools in an inclusive science class and how the usage developed over a two-year period. The case study was conducted in a Finnish primary school, where nine LD pupils’ smartphone usage was followed in three science learning practices that supported LDs. The data consisted of repeated smartphone questionnaires, interviews, learning outcomes, and teachers’ memoranda. The content and co-occurrence network analysis revealed that the smartphone usage varied in different practices, and its benefits developed gradually during the research period. Research highlights that teachers’ and pupils’ engagement with a dedicated, collaborative, and long-lasting process of smartphone usage in teaching and learning enables the achievement of change.Peer reviewe