The Role of Motivation and Academic Wellbeing : the Transition from Secondary to Further Education in STEM in Finland

The transition from secondary education to tertiary education is challenging in Finland. Some of the key challenges are related to the competition rates in upper secondary education, gap years, low motivation towards STEM fields and a highly selective admission system to tertiary education; many opt out of STEM fields. In the current article, I approach these challenges in the context of expectancy-value-cost theory taking both a variable and person-oriented approach. Taking a variable-oriented approach we have identified that students' interest in STEM subjects decreases during secondary education. Taking a person-oriented approach, we can identify three different subgroups. The person-oriented approach reveals that 50% of the students show a decreasing interest in all subjects during secondary education. Additionally, we can identify two gendered pathways. One trajectory is more typical among males; for this group the interest in mathematics increases during secondary education. The other trajectory is more typical for females; with them, interest in mathematics decreases during secondary education while at the same time their interest in languages increases. When these groups are followed later on we can identify that those in the group in which interest in mathematics increases are more likely to pursue studies and to find employment in STEM fields compared with those in the group in which interest towards languages increased. In addition, we could identify four gendered motivational orientations towards work and education after the transition from secondary education: those interested in income (more males), those looking for future prospects, those combining work and family (more females), and those interested in society (more females). Recently, we have developed an intervention programme to promote interest and pathways towards STEM, which I will present as a way to bridge the transition from secondary to further education in STEM.Peer reviewe

Developmental dynamics between young adults’ life satisfaction and engagement with studies and work

The present five-wave longitudinal study investigated the cross-lagged associations between young adults’ life satisfaction and study/work engagement over the transition from post-comprehensive studies to higher education or work during the second and third decades of life. Gender, educational track, academic performance and family socioeconomic status were also examined. The study is part of the longitudinal Finnish Educational Transitions (FinEdu) study, and used data from secondary education onwards, following 821 participants from age 17 to 25. The developmental dynamics showed that, in particular, young adults’ life satisfaction predicted their study/work engagement both during their post-comprehensive education and after the transition to higher education or work. Moreover, study/work engagement positively predicted young adults’ life satisfaction during their third decade of life. In addition, high initial life satisfaction was more typical among males. However, no differences related to gender or academic track were observed in the developmental dynamics of life satisfaction and study/work engagement. These results suggested that general wellbeing spills over to study/work domain-specific characteristics of wellbeing and promotes positive personal development and adjustment to study/work transitions during the third decade of life.Peer reviewe

Experiences of Moving Quickly to Distance Teaching and Learning at All Levels of Education in Finland

Abstract In this chapter, the teaching and learning in Finnish compulsory education during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring and autumn terms of 2020 will be analyzed and discussed. First, preconditions, such as teacher and student digicompetences and digi-infrastructure for switching to distance teaching and learning, will be analyzed. Second, the organization and experiences of teaching and learning during this time are described based on representative surveys conducted during and after the spring 2020 distance teaching period. Finally, teachers’, principals’ and students’ engagement and well-being during the pandemic will be analyzed based on survey data. Preconditions for organizing effective distance teaching and learning during the 2020 spring term were appropriate teacher and student digi-competences and digi-infrastructure and availability of digi-tools. During the pandemic, teachers’ digi-pedagogy and students’ digi-competences developed. Moreover, several digipedagogy and co-teaching innovations were created. However, at the student level, we identified decreased engagement during the pandemic, and at the teacher and principal levels, we identified not only decreased engagement but also increased stress and even burnout. Principals suffered from teachers’ stress, whereas teachers suffered from families’ inequality in coping with distance learning. All in all, the switch to distance teaching and learning was organized effectively, but the distance-learning period weakened the equality of teaching and the conditions for learning.Peer reviewe

Latent Profiles of Parental Burnout During COVID-19 : The Role of Child-Related Perceptions

The present study examined latent profiles of parental burnout dimensions (e.g., exhaustion in parental role, contrast with previous parental self, feelings of being fed up, and emotional distancing, measured with a shortened version of the parental burnout assessment scale) among Finnish parents of sixth and eighth grade children. In addition, the role of children’s strengths and difficulties (e.g., prosocial skills, hyperactivity, somatic problems, conduct problems, and peer problems) and parents’ growth mindset in predicting membership in the latent parental burnout profiles was examined. The participants were 1,314 parents (80% mothers) from the Helsinki Metropolitan area who filled in a questionnaire concerning their parenting burnout and child-related perceptions during the fall 2020. The results were analyzed using latent profile analysis (LPA) and three-step procedure. Three latent profiles of parental burnout were identified as: low parental burnout (85.7% of the parents), high parental burnout (8%), and emotionally distanced (6.3%) profiles. Parents who reported their children having some challenges (e.g., hyperactivity, somatic problems, conduct problems, and peer problems) more often belonged to the high burnout or emotionally distanced profiles rather than to the low parental burnout profile. Parents whose children had high prosocial skills and who employed growth mindset more often belonged to the low parental burnout rather than to the distanced profilePeer reviewe

Study engagement and burnout profiles among Finnish higher education students

A person-oriented approach was applied to identify profiles of study engagement and burnout (i.e., exhaustion, cynicism, inadequacy) in higher education in a large and representative sample of 12,394 higher education students at different phases of their studies in universities and polytechnics in Finland. Four profiles were identified: Engaged (44%), engaged-exhausted (30%) inefficacious (19%) and burned-out (7%). The engaged students had the most positive engagement accompanied with the least burnout symptoms compared to other groups. The engaged-exhausted students experienced emotional exhaustion simultaneously with academic engagement. The inefficacious group had heightened experience of inadequacy as a student. The burned-out students showed very high cynicism and inadequacy and very low academic engagement compared to the other groups. Of these groups, the engaged students tended to be in the earlier stages in their studies, whereas the burned-out and inefficacious students had been studying the longest. The pattern suggests that students starting out with high engagement and that burnout becomes more common later in the academic career. Supporting demands-resources model, the covariates reflecting the demands were higher and those reflecting resources were lower among the burned-out and inefficacious students compared to the engaged students.Peer reviewe

Role of demands-resources in work engagement and burnout in different career stages

Integrating the life-span approach with the Job-Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study examined the associations between personal and job demands and resources and work burnout and engagement during the early, mid, and late career stages. A further aim was to include novel job-related demands caused by digitalization, globalization and diversity. We also examined the extent to which work engagement and burnout were associated with general well-being, i.e., life satisfaction and depressive symptoms, among employees in different career stages. Employees (N = 1415) from three large organizations participated in the study via their occupational health services. The research questions were analyzed using structural equation modeling. In line with the life-span approach, the results for personal demands showed that, especially during the early career stage, economic problems were associated with work burnout symptoms, whereas during the late career stage caregiving demands were associated with work burnout and, negatively, with work engagement. In line with the JD-R model, job resources were related to work engagement in all career stages and high resilience buffered against the associations between demands and work engagement and burnout. The results for job demands showed that ICT demands were associated with work burnout during the early career stage and multicultural job demands with work burnout during the middle career stage. Finally, work engagement was associated with life satisfaction and work burnout was associated with depressive symptoms in all career stages. To conclude, an integrative life-span framework can be applied in the context of the demands-resources model.Peer reviewe

Social demands and resources predict job burnout and engagement profiles among Finnish employees

Background and Objectives:Latent profiles of employees' job burnout (e.g., exhaustion, cynicism, feelings of inadequacy) and work engagement (e.g., energy, dedication, absorption) were examined. Moreover, the role of social work-related (multicultural, interpersonal, and project work demands) and personal demands (relationship demands) and social work-related resources (servant leadership, team climate) and personal resources (resilience, self-efficacy) in predicting the latent profiles were examined. Design:This study is a part of an Occupational Health Study in which 766 employees participated twice. Methods:The results were analyzed using latent profile analysis. Results:Two longitudinal profiles of burnout and engagement could be identified, namely high engagement (84% of the participants) and increasing burnout (16%) profiles. Employees who experienced high work-related social resources (servant leadership) and high personal resources (resilience, self-efficacy) were more likely to belong to the high engagement group than to the increasing burnout group. Employees who experienced high work-related social demands (multicultural, interpersonal, and project work demands) and personal social demands (relationship demands) more often belonged to the increasing burnout group. Conclusions:Social resources may help in promoting employees' job engagement, whereas social demands are often associated with increasing burnout symptoms.Peer reviewe

Positive Youth Development Through Student Engagement : Associations with Well-Being

High engagement in studies is an important strength of adolescents, which promotes positive development, successful educational and occupational transitions, and overall well-being. This chapter reviews relevant evidence on students’ positive development through student engagement during a major transition to higher education and employment. In addition, different pathways of student engagement and the role of personal (e.g., gender, performance) and contextual antecedents (e.g., parenting styles, autonomy support) of engagement are discussed. The review showed that the positive continuum of engagement in studies and work is often associated with indicators of well-being (e.g., life satisfaction, career satisfaction), and negatively associated with ill-health (e.g., burnout, depressive symptoms) during the transition to higher education/work. The chapter concludes that student engagement facilitates late adolescents’ positive development in multiple ways and enhances their future career development.Peer reviewe

Subjective financial situation and financial capability of young adults in Finland

A key developmental task in young adulthood is acquiring financial capability (Serido, Shim, & Tang, 2013), meaning competent financial management skills and the responsibilities that these involve. This study extends previous research on the theoretical model of the development of financial capability, including financial confidence (or financial self-efficacy) and financial behavior as factors contributing to subjective and financial well-being. It is part of the Finnish Educational Transitions Studies (FinEdu) longitudinal research project. Participants were 418 young adults aged 24–25 at Time 1 and 26–27 at Time 2. Path and mediation models and Structural Equation Modeling following a modified theoretical model of financial capability were estimated. The results support the theoretical model of financial capability among young adults in Finland. The study complements previous research by investigating the associations between subjective financial situation and financial capability and their respective mediation effects over time.Peer reviewe

The Multifaceted Nature of Identity Toward Integrative Perspectives on Processes, Pathways, and Contexts

Non peer reviewe