The Power of Normative Coordination in the Bologna Process : How Universities Learned to Stop Worrying and to Love Quality Assurance

The article posits that the institutionalisation of quality assurance within European higher education is largely attributable to the reshaping of power relations by means of practices that are very similar to the open method of coordination. All the major parties involved in this process – universities, governments, the European Commission and quality-assurance agencies – have been able to gain from it. The whole process is open to scrutiny in the central documents of the Bologna process: following the formation of a common ‘truth’ about the European situation, it has been possible to move forward and reshape power through normative procedures.Non peer reviewe

The evaluation and steering of English academy schools through inspection and examinations: national visions and local practices

The article analyses the redefinition and distribution of powers between central governance and local actors in English independent state-funded schooling. Earlier research on governance confirms the importance of the local and the school level in reshaping national-level reforms and steering policies. The research draws on data from interviews with national-level policymakers and an ethnographic school case study, thereby yielding contrasting views and perceptions of governance at the national level, and the day-to-day reality at the local level. The empirical analysis gives mixed results in that the national visions of innovative local practices seem not to be manifest at the local level. Despite the legal and financial freedoms granted to academy schools, the case academy is constrained by the national policy of steering by evaluation, namely inspection and testing, and the managerial practices of the sponsor. The article concludes that the real effect of academies is still under construction and meanwhile their space for action is strongly restricted by the tools of evaluation. As a more theoretical conclusion the analysis suggests that future analysis should concentrate more on action rather than structures and on evaluation as an embedded practice

Comparing higher education reforms in Finland and Portugal: different contexts, same solutions?

This article provides a comparative analysis of recent governance reforms in both Finnish and Portuguese higher education institutions (HEIs), following the OECD’s recent reviews of both countries’ tertiary education systems. While in the case of Finland the major problem was identified as being a lack of entrepreneurialism, Portugal was considered to lack effective, strategic higher education planning as well as innovative, flexible and responsive HEIs. The review teams pointed to common issues, despite different country contexts. As they recommended very similar solutions for reforming the legal status of universities, this encouraged national governments to undertake reforms according to their specific needs. By pinpointing problems, the OECD was seen to play an important role in this process and its recommendations proved to be close to the ideas of new public management.Peer reviewe

Complexity in higher education politics: bifurcations, choices and irreversibility

Taking complexity as an epistemic starting point, this article enhances understanding of dynamics in higher education. It also reviews the relevant literature on path dependency, complexity research, and studies of political change and contingency. These ideas are further developed with reference to the political situation and political possibilities as concepts. It is claimed that the key issues in understanding irreversibility on a system level are institutional change and politicisation. It is deduced from two case studies in the Finnish context that founding new institutions created bifurcations in both. Then again, the politicisation for disbanding existing institutions has proved rather futile. The key findings are that the choices in higher education politics increase the complexity of the system, and that many of the choices made are irreversible for reasons to do with contingency.Peer reviewe

Valta Bolognan prosessissa : laadunvarmistusajattelun leviäminen Euroopassa ja Suomessa

Eurooppalaisiin korkeakouluihin voimakkaasti vaikuttavan Bolognan prosessin tavoitteista laadunvarmistus voidaan nähdä kaikkein poliittisimpana. Se vaikuttaa vallanjakoon yliopistojen sisällä, kansallisesti ja Euroopassa. Tutkimuksessa kysytään: miten laadusta tuli eurooppalaisissa yliopistoissa tarkkailtava jokapäiväinen asia Bolognan prosessin aikana? Lisäksi kysytään miten laadunvarmistusajattelu on levinnyt Euroopassa ja Suomessa sekä miten se on muuttanut valta-asetelmia keskeisten korkeakoulupoliittisten toimijoiden kesken. Empiirinen aineisto koostuu pääosin kuuden organisaation strategia- ja suunnitteluasiakirjoista vuosilta 1988 2005. Euroopan tasolta tarkastellaan laadunvarmistajien kattojärjestöä ENQAa, yliopistojen kattojärjestö EUA:ta sekä Euroopan opetusministerikokouksia. Suomen toimijoina tarkastellaan opetusministeriötä, Korkeakoulujen arviointineuvostoa ja Helsingin yliopistoa. Viitekehyksenä käytetään Michel Foucault n valtakäsitystä yhdistettynä innovaatioiden leviämistä kuvaavaan diffuusioteoriaan. Tällöin valta nähdään erityisesti ajattelumallien leviämisenä ja monimutkaisena strategisena pelinä totuuden, oikean ja vallan määräämällä pelikentällä. Vallan toimimisen kannalta tärkeää on käsitteiden muodostaminen, totuuden objektivointi ja toimijoiden subjektivointi. Diffuusiosta eritellään heikko diffuusio, joka tarkoittaa innovaation samanaikaista kehittymistä ilman todistettavaa yhteyttä sekä vahva diffuusio, joka viittaa selvään vuorovaikutukseen kahden yhteisön välillä. Aikaisemmassa tutkimuksessa on osoitettu, kuinka kansainvälisen laadunvarmistuksen malli on saapunut Eurooppaan Yhdysvalloista asiantuntijakonferenssien sekä kansainvälisten järjestöjen kuten OECD:n levittämänä ensin pioneerimaihin 1980-luvulla ja laajemmin 1990-luvulla. Empiirisessä analyysissa huomataan, että kansainvälinen laadunvarmistuksen malli on levinnyt sekä Euroopassa että Suomessa yhtäaikaisesti diffuusion perusdynamiikan mukaisesti. Liikkeellelähtö saavutettiin molemmilla tasoilla samaan aikaan ennen Bolognan prosessin käynnistymistä. Euroopan ja Suomen tason kehityksen välillä on havaittavissa heikko diffuusio. Tärkeitä diffuusion lähteitä ovat olleet kansainvälisen laadunvarmistuksen mallin aikaiset omaksujamaat osin kansainvälisten organisaatioiden ja Suomessa erityisesti Korkeakoulujen arviointineuvoston kanavoimana. Laadunvarmistuksen diffuusion merkittävimmät valta-asetelman muutokset liittyivät kytkökseen yliopistojen autonomiaan. Käsitys autonomiasta muuttui kattavammaksi, mutta samalla käsitys autonomian valvomisesta kasvoi. Uusi valvonnan tilanne institutionalisoi laadunvarmistuselimet, jotka huolehtivat yliopistojen subjektivoinnista. Keskeistä innovaation leviämisessä on ollut, että kaikki osapuolet ovat vähintään käsitteellisesti hyötyneet uudistuksesta. Muutosten lähtökohtina ovat olleet kansalliset intressit, joihin laadunvarmistus on vastannut; ei niinkään passiivisesti vastaanotetut globaalit virtaukset. Suomessa tämä näkyi vanhan tulos- ja tehokkuusajattelun jatkumisena laadunvarmistuksessa. Laadunvarmistuksen innovaatio on antanut mahdollisuuden järjestää valtion valtaa kansallisesti ilman osapuolien suurempaa vastustusta. Laadun tarkkailu, eli laadunvarmistus, oli yleistä Euroopassa jo hyvissä ajoin ennen Bolognan prosessia. Bolognan prosessi auttoi muodostamaan yleiseurooppalaiselle laadunvarmistukselle tehokkaan inkluusioon ja ekskluusioon sekä yhteisiin kyseenalaistamattomiin tavoitteisiin tukeutuvan ohjausmenetelmän, joka kykeni harmonisoimaan ajatusta ja ottamaan mukaan uusia osapuolia

Dynamics in higher education politics: a theoretical model

Online first.This article presents a model for analysing dynamics in higher education politics (DHEP). Theoretically the model draws on the conceptual history of political contingency, agenda-setting theories and previous research on higher education dynamics. According to the model, socio-historical complexity can best be analysed along two dimensions: the political situation and political possibilities. Politics as a situation connotes the idea of an opportune moment when politics can be changed, and political possibilities concern the different alternatives the actors see in different situations. Depending on whether the situation is favourable or unfavourable to change, and on whether the possibilities are politicised or settled, the DHEP model introduces four types of dynamic: reform, gridlock, consensual change and friction. On the empirical level the model has been tested and developed in the context of Finnish higher education by means of interviews and documentary material. It was found, in the Finnish context, that four policy threads functioned according to each of the dynamics. It appears from the empirical findings that dynamics in higher education politics are strongly related to changes that are external to the higher education political system, the changing positions of the actors in different policy threads and the unexpected nature of the dynamics. The DHEP can also be used to shed light on the effects of the silent, settled possibilities that may enable or disable other policy threads within a higher education system.This article presents a model for analysing dynamics in higher education politics (DHEP). Theoretically the model draws on the conceptual history of political contingency, agenda-setting theories and previous research on higher education dynamics. According to the model, socio-historical complexity can best be analysed along two dimensions: the political situation and political possibilities. Politics as a situation connotes the idea of an opportune moment when politics can be changed, and political possibilities concern the different alternatives the actors see in different situations. Depending on whether the situation is favourable or unfavourable to change, and on whether the possibilities are politicised or settled, the DHEP model introduces four types of dynamic: reform, gridlock, consensual change and friction. On the empirical level the model has been tested and developed in the context of Finnish higher education by means of interviews and documentary material. It was found, in the Finnish context, that four policy threads functioned according to each of the dynamics. It appears from the empirical findings that dynamics in higher education politics are strongly related to changes that are external to the higher-education system, the changing positions of the actors in different policy threads and the unexpected nature of the dynamics. The DHEP can also be used to shed light on the effects of the silent, settled possibilities that may enable or disable other policy threads within a higher education system.Peer reviewe

Overview of Primary Education (Finland)

Basic education encompasses nine years of universalist basic education and caters for all those between 7 and 16 years. Every student is allocated a place in a nearby school, but they can also choose another school with some restrictions. All school follow a national core curriculum, which includes the objectives and core contents of different subjects. The education providers, usually the local education authorities and the schools themselves draw up their own curricula within the framework of the national core curriculum. (Kalalahti, Silvennoinen, Varjo & Rinne 2015.) A key feature of the national education culture is to ensure equal opportunities for all. Individual support measures are in place to guarantee that every pupil and student can reach their full potential. Differences between schools are small and the quality of teaching is high all around the country. The education system does not have any dead-ends which would affect an individual’s learning career.Peer reviewe

Evidence and Expert Power in Finnish Education Policy Making : The National Core Curriculum Reform

Peer reviewe

Finland’s Famous Education System : Unvarnished Insights into Finnish Schooling

This open access book provides academic insights and serves as a platform for research-informed discussion about education in Finland. Bringing together the work of more than 50 authors across 28 chapters, it presents a major collection of critical views of the Finnish education system and topics that cohere around social justice concerns. It questions rhetoric, myths, and commonly held assumptions surrounding Finnish schooling. This book draws on the fields of sociology of education, education policy, urban studies, and policy sociology. It makes use of a range of research methodologies including ethnography, case study and discourse analysis, and references the work of relevant theorists, including Bourdieu and Foucault. This book aims to provide a critical, updated and astute analysis of the strengths and challenges of the Finnish education system.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Tomar de empréstimo o sucesso finlandês no PISA? Algumas reflexões críticas, da perspectiva de quem faz este empréstimo

Desde a introdução do Programa PISA, a OCDE tem se mostrado um organismo cada vez mais poderoso no que diz respeito à administração e a políticas educacionais, tanto entre seus países-membro quanto nas demais nações. Também é fato que sistemas educacionais com bom desempenho neste exame transformaram-se em modelos de políticas e práticas educacionais para outros países. Por exemplo, o constante êxito dos adolescentes finlandeses no PISA tem mantido o sistema educacional deste país no centro das atenções mundiais há alguns anos. Este artigo apresenta algumas observações críticas relacionadas à politização dos resultados do PISA, sob um ponto de vista finlandês. Ilustrando com exemplos do próprio sistema educacional finlandês, além de avaliações qualitativas, nosso argumento é que o sistema educacional da Finlândia desenvolveu-se em local e época muito particulares, por meio de processos políticos que não podem ser replicados em outros contextos.Since the introduction of PISA, the OECD has become an increasingly powerful player in education governance and policy within its member countries, as well as elsewhere. It has also become evident that education systems scoring well in the exam have become sources for policy and practice borrowing for other countries. For example, Finnish teenagers’ consistent success in the PISA exam has kept the Finnish education system in the limelight of international attention for a number of years. This essay provides critical observations regarding politicisation of PISA results from a Finnish perspective. Using Finnish teacher education, as well as quality assurance and evaluation as examples, we argue that Finnish education system has developed within a particular place and time, through political processes that are not replicable in different political contexts