Are Finnish schools equal for all?:Finnish comprehensive school teachers’ perceptions about the role of parental socioeconomic status on a child’s schooling

Abstract. This qualitative master’s thesis explores the perceptions of Finnish comprehensive school teachers about the role of parental socioeconomic status (SES) on a child’s schooling, and teachers’ perceptions about how educational equality is implemented in schools, and teachers’ opportunities to support students of different socioeconomic backgrounds. The thesis is a phenomenographic research and data was collected through an open-ended narrative style online questionnaire. The participants are 36 comprehensive school teachers (grades 1–9) from all over Finland. The theoretical framework of the thesis discusses the role of parental socioeconomic status on a child’s school success and schooling in general. The theory also provides insight into exceptional and protective factors that allow children of low SES to succeed despite these factors. Additionally, the Finnish education system is examined in relation to success in PISA and the comprehensive school as a means for promoting educational equality. Lastly, teachers as agents of social justice is discussed. Three descriptive categories were formed through the phenomenographic analysis; the visibility of parental SES in school, the ways that the school/teacher can support the student, and teachers’ views on the equality of schools. The results indicate that most teachers perceive parental SES to have a role on a child’s schooling, such as learning/readiness for learning and parents’ resources and support, while a few borderline cases indicated that there is no effect at all. According to the teachers, teachers and/or the school can support the child for example through equal and sensitive treatment and being aware of one’s attitudes. Perceptions about the equality of Finnish schools were very divided very equally between schools being equal, schools being partially equal, and schools not being equal.Onko suomalainen koulu tasa-arvoinen kaikille? : peruskoulun opettajien käsityksiä vanhempien sosioekonomisen aseman vaikutuksesta lapsen koulunkäyntiin. Tiivistelmä. Tämä laadullinen pro gradu -tutkielma tarkastelee peruskoulun opettajien käsityksiä vanhempien sosioekonomisen aseman vaikutuksesta lapsen koulunkäyntiin sekä opettajien näkemyksiä koulutuksellisen tasa-arvon toteutumisesta koulussa ja opettajan mahdollisuuksista tukea erilaisista sosioekonomisista taustoista tulevia oppilaita. Tutkimus on toteutettu fenomenografisesti ja empiirinen aineisto on kerätty avoimella kyselylomakkeella. Tutkimuksen osallistujat ovat 36 peruskoulun opettajaa eri puolilta Suomea. Tutkielman teoreettisessa viitekehyksessä käsitellään sosioekonomisen aseman merkitystä lapsen koulussa menestymiselle ja koulunkäynnille. Viitekehyksessä perehdytään eri tapoihin, miten vanhempien sosioekonominen asema voi vaikuttaa lapsen koulumenestykseen, sekä siihen millaiset suojaavat ja poikkeavat tekijät voivat auttaa lasta pärjäämään niistä huolimatta. Lisäksi viitekehyksessä tarkastellaan Suomen koulutusjärjestelmää PISA-menestyksen näkökulmasta sekä suomalaista peruskoulua tasa-arvoisuuden ja oikeudenmukaisuuden edistäjänä. Lopuksi pohditaan, miten opettaja voisi edistää sosiaalisen oikeudenmukaisuuden toteutumista koulussa ja yhteiskunnassa. Aineiston analyysin kautta muodostettiin kolme kuvauskategoriaa: vanhempien sosioekonomisen aseman näkyvyys koulussa, koulun ja opettajan oppilaalle tarjoama tuki sekä näkemykset koulutuksellisesta tasa-arvosta. Tulosten mukaan suurin osa tutkimukseen osallistuneista opettajista näkee vanhempien sosioekonomisen aseman vaikuttavan jollain tapaa lapsen koulunkäyntiin, kuten oppimiseen/oppimisvalmiuksiin ja vanhempien resursseihin ja tukeen. Opettajien käsitysten mukaan opettajat ja/tai koulu voivat tukea oppilasta esimerkiksi tasa-arvoisella ja sensitiivisellä kohtelulla ja tiedostamalla omat asenteensa. Opettajien käsitykset suomalaisen peruskoulun tasa-arvoisuudesta jakaantuivat tasaisesti kolmeen eri kategoriaan: koulu on tasa-arvoinen, koulu on osittain tasa-arvoinen ja koulu ei ole tasa-arvoinen

Hierarchial Roots and Shoots or Opera Jehovae Magna! (PSALMS 111:2)

The philosophy of Linnaeus\u27s classification, Systema Naturae, is briefly reviewed, as well as those of post-Linnaean systems of plant classification. Texts of current codes of nomenclature pertaining to hierarchy, including associated rank terminations, are compared

The Genus Asclepias in Iowa

The present study was undertaken to provide modern distribution maps and a workable key for the Iowa milkweeds. The genus Asclepias has not been separately studied in Iowa, so far as\u27\u27 the authors can ascertain. In the most recent Iowa flora, Conard (1951) lists 16 species. In the present work 15 species are recognized. Appreciation is extended to Dr. Robert Thorne and Dr. Richard Pohl for the use of specimens from the herbaria of the State University of Iowa and Iowa State College. In addition, material from the herbarium of Grinnell College has been studied. In all, approximately 1200 sheets of Asclepias were examined

The medieval wills of Bristol with special reference to those of the merchants

The purpose of this work is two-fold· First, it makes available hitherto unpublished material relating to over four hundred persons who inhabited Bristol between I36O and 1500; secondly, it evaluates the main source material which consists of wills proved at Bristol and Canterbury· This evaluation involves both a general assessment of the use of wills as an historical source, and a specific examination of those relating to the inhabitants of Bristol· It is hoped that this research will be useful not only to subsequent work on Bristol and the surrounding rural areas, but also in the wider context of the study of medieval towns and ports

Chronic pain:a review of its epidemiology and associated factors in population-based studies

Chronic pain is a common, complex, and distressing problem that has a profound impact on individuals and society. It frequently presents as a result of a disease or an injury; however, it is not merely an accompanying symptom, but rather a separate condition in its own right, with its own medical definition and taxonomy. Studying the distribution and determinants of chronic pain allows us to understand and manage the problem at the individual and population levels. Targeted and appropriate prevention and management strategies need to take into account the biological, psychological, socio-demographic, and lifestyle determinants and outcomes of pain. We present a narrative review of the current understanding of these factors.</p

A relativistic helical jet in the gamma-ray AGN 1156+295

We present the results of a number of high resolution radio observations of the AGN 1156+295. These include multi-epoch and multi-frequency VLBI, VSOP, MERLIN and VLA observations made over a period of 50 months. The 5 GHz MERLIN images trace a straight jet extending to 2 arcsec at P.A. -18 degrees. Extended low brightness emission was detected in the MERLIN observation at 1.6 GHz and the VLA observation at 8.5 GHz with a bend of about 90 degrees at the end of the 2 arcsecond jet. A region of similar diffuse emission is also seen about 2 arcseconds south of the radio core. The VLBI images of the blazar reveal a core-jet structure with an oscillating jet on a milli-arcsecond (mas) scale which aligns with the arcsecond jet at a distance of several tens of milli-arcseconds from the core. This probably indicates that the orientation of the jet structure is close to the line of sight, with the northern jet being relativistically beamed toward us. In this scenario the diffuse emission to the north and south is not beamed and appears symmetrical. For the northern jet at the mas scale, proper motions of 13.7 +/-3.5, 10.6 +/- 2.8, and 11.8 +/- 2.8 c are measured in three distinct components of the jet (q_0=0.5, H_0=65 km /s /Mpc are used through out this paper). Highly polarised emission is detected on VLBI scales in the region in which the jet bends sharply to the north-west. The spectral index distribution of the source shows that the strongest compact component has a flat spectrum, and the extended jet has a steep spectrum. A helical trajectory along the surface of a cone was proposed based on the conservation laws for kinetic energy and momentum to explain the observed phenomena, which is in a good agreement with the observed results on scales of 1 mas to 1 arcsec.Comment: 19 pages with 18 figures. Accepted for publication in the A&

Block to granular-like transition in dense bubble flows

We have experimentally investigated 2-dimensional dense bubble flows underneath inclined planes. Velocity profiles and velocity fluctuations have been measured. A broad second-order phase transition between two dynamical regimes is observed as a function of the tilt angle $\theta$. For low $\theta$ values, a block motion is observed. For high $\theta$ values, the velocity profile becomes curved and a shear velocity gradient appears in the flow.Comment: Europhys. Lett. (2003) in pres