Koherenssin rakentaminen kansallisessa opetussuunnitelmauudistuksessa : Kuinka koulun toimijat kokevat opetussuunnitelman koherenssin ja miksi sillä on väliä?

This dissertation presents an exploration of the anatomy and function of curriculum coherence as perceived by educational stakeholders in national core curriculum reform in basic education. It presents analysis of how educational stakeholders from three levels of the educational system experienced the core curriculum’s coherence, and whether there were differences within and between the levels. In addition, the study included an examination of whether curriculum coherence is connected to the impact of the reform process on school-level development. The dissertation is comprised of three independent part studies. The study was conducted with quantitative methods, combining variable-centered and person-centered analyses. Survey data were collected from three cohorts: state-level stakeholders involved in core curriculum development (N = 116), district-level stakeholders involved in local curriculum development (N = 550) and comprehensive school teachers at two time points in the early stages of implementing the curriculum in schools (N = 901). The results showed that perceived curriculum coherence consisted of: 1) consistency of the intended direction, 2) an integrative approach to teaching and learning, and 3) alignment between objectives, content and assessment (study I). Overall, the state-level stakeholders seemed to have the highest perceptions of the core curriculum’s coherence and teachers the lowest. While all participant cohorts perceived the core curriculum to be rather coherent, the consistency of the curriculum’s intended direction was seen as the least successful element of coherence. The person-centered analyses provided more detailed information about the variation in perceived curriculum coherence within and between the levels of the educational system. Two distinctive profiles were identified among state- and district-level stakeholders in study II. Stakeholders in the high coherence and impact profile (83%) experienced the core curriculum to be coherent in terms of all three elements and expected the reform process to have positive impact on school-level development work. In turn, stakeholders in the lower consistency of the intended direction and impact profile (17%) perceived the consistency of the intended direction to be lower, combined with less positive expectations of the school-level impact. State-level stakeholders had higher odds of belonging to the high coherence and impact profile compared to the district-level stakeholders. In study III, five profiles were identified based on teachers’ perceived curriculum coherence at two time points during the early stage of curriculum implementation. Teachers in the largest profiles, high (21%) and high-moderate coherence (48%), experienced the core curriculum to be coherent, however their perceived coherence slightly decreased during the one-year follow-up. In turn, teachers in the low-moderate (20%) and low coherence (3%) profiles perceived the core curriculum to be less coherent at first but their perceptions slightly increased after the first year of implementation. Finally, the decreasing coherence (9%) profile had rather low initial perceived coherence and showed a large drop during the follow-up. The results also showed that district-level stakeholders’ perceptions of the core curriculum’s coherence were strongly connected to their expectations of the reform’s impact on functional school development (study I). Moreover, teachers’ curriculum coherence profiles differed in terms of their perceptions of the school impact: the more coherent teachers perceived the core curriculum, the more positive they considered the impact of the reform to be on school-level development work (study III). The dissertation contributes to the research on curriculum reform by a) exploring the anatomy of curriculum coherence as perceived by educational stakeholders, b) showing that curriculum coherence is connected to the potential of the reform to support locally functional school development, c) providing a systemic inquiry of perceived curriculum coherence at various levels of the educational system in the context of large-scale curriculum reform, and d) utilizing both variable-centered and person-centered analytical approaches to gain more detailed information on perceived curriculum coherence throughout the system. ________________________________________ Keywords: curriculum coherence, curriculum reform, Finnish comprehensive school, school developmentTässä väitöstutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin opetussuunnitelman koherenssin, eli sen yhtenäisyyden ja johdonmukaisuuden, rakennetta ja merkitystä koulun toimijoiden kokemana kansallisten perusopetuksen opetussuunnitelman perusteiden uudistuksessa. Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin, kuinka koulujärjestelmän eri toimijat kokivat uudistetun opetussuunnitelman koherenssin sekä sitä, erosivatko näkemykset koulujärjestelmän eri tasoilla ja niiden välillä. Lisäksi tutkittiin, onko opetussuunnitelman koherenssi yhteydessä odotuksiin uudistuksen vaikuttavuudesta koulutasolla. Väitöstutkimus koostuu kolmesta itsenäisestä osatutkimuksesta. Tutkimus toteutettiin kvantitatiivisilla menetelmillä hyödyntäen sekä muuttuja- että yksilökeskeisiä lähestymistapoja. Kyselyaineisto kerättiin kolmelta koulujärjestelmän tasolta: kansallisen tason opetussuunnitelman perusteiden kehittämiseen osallistuneilta toimijoilta (N = 116), paikallistason opetussuunnitelmatyöryhmiin osallistuneilta toimijoilta (N = 550), sekä peruskoulun opettajilta kahdella mittauskerralla opetussuunnitelman toteutuksen alkuvaiheessa (N = 901). Tulosten perusteella näkemykset opetussuunnitelman koherenssista koostuivat: 1) tavoitellun suunnan johdonmukaisuudesta, 2) opetusta eheyttävästä lähestymistavasta sekä 3) tavoitteiden, sisältöjen ja arvioinnin linjakkuudesta (osatutkimus I). Yleisesti ottaen kansallistason toimijat kokivat opetussuunnitelman perusteet eniten koherenteiksi ja opettajat vähiten. Vaikka kaikkien vastaajaryhmien näkemysten perusteella opetussuunnitelman perusteet olivat melko koherentit, tavoitellun suunnan johdonmukaisuus koettiin koherenssin ulottuvuuksista matalimmaksi. Yksilökeskeiset analyysit antoivat lisätietoa tasojen sisäisestä ja välisestä vaihtelusta. Osatutkimuksessa II kansallisen ja paikallisen tason toimijoiden keskuudesta tunnistettiin kaksi erilaista profiilia. Korkean koherenssin ja vaikuttavuuden ryhmään kuuluneet toimijat (83%) kokivat opetussuunnitelman perusteet koherenteiksi kaikkien kolmen ulottuvuuden suhteen sekä samaan aikaan odottivat, että opetussuunnitelmauudistusprosessi vaikuttaa positiivisesti koulutason kehittämistyöhön. Matalan johdonmukaisuuden ja vaikuttavuuden ryhmään kuuluneet toimijat (17%) sen sijaan kokivat opetussuunnitelman perusteiden tavoitellun suunnan johdonmukaisuuden matalammaksi ja samalla heidän uskomuksensa uudistuksen koulutason vaikuttavuudesta olivat heikommat. Kansallistason toimijat kuuluivat todennäköisemmin korkean koherenssin ja vaikuttavuuden profiiliin verrattuna paikallistason toimijoihin. Osatutkimuksessa III tunnistettiin viisi koetun koherenssin profiilia opettajien kahden mittauskerran vastausten perusteella. Opettajat suurimmissa profiileissa, korkea (21%) ja korkea-kohtalainen koherenssi (48%), kokivat opetussuunnitelman perusteet koherenteiksi, vaikka heidän näkemyksensä koherenssista laskivat hieman opetussuunnitelman toteuttamisen alkuvaiheissa. Matala-kohtalainen (20%) sekä matala koherenssi (3%) ryhmiin kuuluneet opettajat sen sijaan kokivat opetussuunnitelman koherenssin vähäisenä ensimmäisellä vastauskerralla, mutta koettu koherenssi kasvoi hieman opetussuunnitelman toteuttamisen alkuvaiheessa. Laskevan koherenssin (9%) ryhmän näkemykset opetussuunnitelman koherenssista olivat matalat sekä laskivat edelleen vuoden seurannan aikana. Lisäksi tulokset osoittivat, että paikallistason toimijoiden näkemykset opetussuunnitelman perusteiden yhtenäisyydestä kolmella koherenssin ulottuvuudella olivat vahvasti yhteydessä heidän arvioihinsa opetussuunnitelmauudistuksen vaikutuksesta koulujen kehittämistyöhön, esimerkiksi opettajien sitoutumiseen ja paikallisesti toimivaan kehittämistyöhön (osatutkimus I). Lisäksi opettajien koetun koherenssin profiilit erosivat uskomuksissa koulutason vaikutuksista; mitä koherentimmiksi opetussuunnitelman perusteet koettiin, sen vahvemmiksi arvioitiin uudistuksen vaikutukset koulutason kehittämistyössä (osatutkimus III). Väitöstutkimus edistää opetussuunnitelmauudistuksiin liittyvää tutkimusta seuraavilla tavoilla: a) tarkastelemalla opetussuunnitelman koherenssin rakennetta koulujärjestelmän toimijoiden kokemana, b) osoittamalla, että koettu opetussuunnitelman koherenssi on yhteydessä uudistuksen odotettuun vaikuttavuuteen koulun kehittämistyössä, c) tarjoamalla systeemisen tarkastelun koetusta koherenssista koulujärjestelmän kolmella eri tasolla sekä d) hyödyntämällä muuttuja- ja yksilökeskeisiä lähestymistapoja aineiston analyysissa. ________________________________________ Avainsanat: opetussuunnitelman koherenssi, opetussuunnitelmauudistus, peruskoulu, koulun kehittämine

University students' cognitive and attributional strategies, academic emotions and connection to study success

Previous studies have shown that cognitive and attributional strategies as well as academic emotions can be considered as central factors affecting studying but the interaction between them has been explored very little. The aim of this study was to explore what kind of cognitive and attributional strategies university students in the Faculty of Arts use and what kind of academic emotions they experience in their studies. The aim was also to examine what kind of cognitive-attributional-emotional profiles can be identified for students and how do these profiles differ from each other in study success. The study also addressed the differences between Bachelor's and Master's degree students. The data were collected in a previous research project in the Faculty of Arts in the University of Helsinki. The shortened version of the Strategy and Attribution Questionnaire was used as a measure of cognitive and attributional strategies. The measure of academic emotions was formed on the basis of the Academic Emotions Scale. The data was collected by an online questionnaire in the autumn of 2013 and the participants of the study were 244 students. Cluster analysis was used for clustering students into cognitive-attributional-emotional profiles based on the combinations of cognitive and attributional strategies and academic emotions. Differences between different groups were analyzed by the independent samples t-test and ANOVA. Four groups with different profiles were identified: optimistic and hopeful, optimistic and ashamed, optimistic and frustrated as well as avoidant and anxious. The optimistic and hopeful group did better in their studies than the avoidant and anxious as well as the optimistic and frustrated group. The Bachelor's degree students, as well as younger students, experienced more negative emotions and used the self-handicapping strategy more than the Master's degree students and older students. It is important to further examine the interaction between cognitive and attributional strategies and academic emotions to find out whether same kind of profiles can be identified in different contexts.Kognitiivis-attributionaaliset strategiat ja akateemiset tunteet ovat aiemman tutkimuksen perusteella tärkeitä opiskeluun liittyviä tekijöitä, mutta ilmiöiden välisiä yhteyksiä on tutkittu hyvin vähän. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tarkastella millaisia kognitiivis-attributionaalisia strategioita humanistisen tiedekunnan yliopisto-opiskelijat käyttävät ja millaisia akateemisia tunteita he kokevat opinnoissaan. Tarkoituksena oli tutkia millaisia kognitiivis-attributionaalisista strategioista ja akateemisista tunteista koostuvia yksilöllisiä kombinaatioita aineistosta voidaan muodostaa sekä selvittää millaisia eroja profiiliryhmien välillä on opintomenestyksessä. Tutkimuksessa käsiteltiin myös kandidaatti- ja maisterivaiheiden opiskelijoiden välisiä eroja. Tutkimusaineisto oli Helsingin yliopiston humanistisessa tiedekunnassa toteutetusta tutkimusprojektista. Kognitiivis-attributionaalisten strategioiden mittarina käytettiin lyhennettyjä suomenkielisiä mittareita SAQ-kyselystä (Strategy and Attribution Questionnaire) ja akateemisten tunteiden mittari oli muodostettu AES-mittarin (Academic Emotions Scale) pohjalta. Aineisto kerättiin online-kyselylomakkeella opiskelijoilta syksyllä 2013 ja tutkimukseen osallistui 244 opiskelijaa. Kognitiivis-attributionaalisista strategioista ja akateemisista tunteista muodostuvien profiilien tunnistamiseen käytettiin klusterianalyysia. Taustamuuttujaryhmien sekä profiiliryhmien välisiä eroja analysoitiin itsenäisten ryhmien t-testillä sekä ANOVA-varianssianalyysilla. Tulosten perusteella muodostettiin neljä kognitiivis-attributionaalis-emotionaalista profiiliryhmää, jotka olivat optimistiset ja toiveikkaat, optimistiset ja häpeävät, optimistiset ja turhautuneet sekä välttelevät ja ahdistuneet. Optimistiset ja toiveikkaat menestyivät opinnoissaan paremmin kuin välttelevät ja ahdistuneet sekä optimistiset ja turhautuneet. Kandidaattivaiheessa olevat sekä nuoret opiskelijat kokivat enemmän negatiivisia tunteita ja käyttivät enemmän itseä vahingoittavaa strategiaa kuin maisterivaiheessa olevat sekä vanhemmat opiskelijat. Kognitiivis-attributionaalisten strategioiden ja akateemisten tunteiden välisiä suhteita olisi tärkeää tutkia lisää ja selvittää, voidaanko samankaltaisia profiileja tunnistaa myös muissa konteksteissa

Trajectories of Teachers’ Perceived Curriculum Coherence in the Context of Finnish Core Curriculum Reform

Teachers play a key role in transforming the national curriculum reform into classroom practice. This study explored individual variation in Finnish teachers’ (N = 901) perceptions of curriculum coherence during a one-year follow-up during the early stages of its implementation in schools. Latent profile analysis revealed five distinctive profiles. The development of perceived curriculum coherence over the two measurements and the perceived school-level impact of the reform differed between the profiles. The results imply that teachers may need various kinds of support to arrive at a coherent understanding of the curriculum over the process of its development and implementation.Peer reviewe

Curriculum coherence as perceived by district-level stakeholders in large-scale national curriculum reform in Finland

Peer reviewe

Emotionally engaged or feeling anxious and cynical? School experiences and links to school achievement among Finland-Swedish general and special education students

The aim of the study was to enhance understanding of how seventh graders vary in emotional engagement and experienced well-being at school in terms of anxiety and cynicism. The two profiles were explored, and comparisons were made between students in general education and those in special education. The study participants comprised 119 Finland-Swedish students from five secondary schools. Four emotional-engagement and well-being profiles were identified based on cluster analysis. The students with the most typical profile were moderately engaged in teacher-student interaction and emotionally highly engaged in peer interaction, combined with a low risk of anxiety and cynicism. The profiles showed no statistically significant differences regarding gender and school achievement. However, there were differences between students in special education and those in general education. In Finland, Swedish -speaking Finns are a language minority group. Swedish has official language status in Finland. Compared to many other language minority groups they can be considered somewhat exceptional, since according to many welfare indicators they tend to do better than the general population. There are a few studies on differences between Swedish and Finnish- speaking students' school experiences in Finland, however, so far studies exploring Swedish- speaking general and special education students' emotional engagement and study well-being in terms of anxiety and cynicism have been scarce.Peer reviewe

Differences in State- and District-level Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Curriculum Coherence and School Impact in National Curriculum Reform

Purpose Shared understandings of curriculum reform within and between the levels of the educational system are suggested to be crucial for the reform to take root. The purpose of this paper is to explore variation in perceived curriculum coherence and school impact among state- and district-level stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach The participants (n=666) included state- and district-level stakeholders involved in a national curriculum reform in Finland. Latent profile analysis was employed to identify profiles based on participants' perceptions of the core curriculum's coherence and the reform's impact on school development. Findings Two profiles were identified: high coherence and impact, and lower consistency of the intended direction and impact. State-level stakeholders had higher odds of belonging to the high coherence and impact profile than their district-level counterparts. Practical implications The results imply that more attention needs to be paid in developing a shared and coherent understanding particularly of the intended direction of the core curriculum as well as the reform's effects on school-level development among state- and district-level stakeholders. Originality/value The study contributes to the literature on curriculum reform by shedding light on the variation in perceived curriculum coherence and school impact of those responsible for a large-scale national curriculum reform process at different levels of the educational system.Peer reviewe

Emotionally engaged or feeling anxious and cynical? School experiences and links to school achievement among Finland-Swedish general and special education students

The aim of the study was to enhance understanding of how seventh graders vary in emotional engagement and experienced well-being at school in terms of anxiety and cynicism. The two profiles were explored, and comparisons were made between students in general education and those in special education. The study participants comprised 119 Finland-Swedish students from five secondary schools. Four emotional-engagement and well-being profiles were identified based on cluster analysis. The students with the most typical profile were moderately engaged in teacher-student interaction and emotionally highly engaged in peer interaction, combined with a low risk of anxiety and cynicism. The profiles showed no statistically significant differences regarding gender and school achievement. However, there were differences between students in special education and those in general education. In Finland, Swedish -speaking Finns are a language minority group. Swedish has official language status in Finland. Compared to many other language minority groups they can be considered somewhat exceptional, since according to many welfare indicators they tend to do better than the general population. There are a few studies on differences between Swedish and Finnish- speaking students' school experiences in Finland, however, so far studies exploring Swedish- speaking general and special education students' emotional engagement and study well-being in terms of anxiety and cynicism have been scarce.Peer reviewe

How does teachers’ professional agency in the classroom change in the professional transition from early career teachers to more experienced ones?

Professional agency is key for teachers’ professional development, for constructing their professional identity, and for promoting student learning. This longitudinal study explored the development of teachers’ (N = 201) sense of professional agency in the classroom in the professional transition from early career teachers to more experienced ones. We used latent profile analysis to examine the individual variation and change in teachers’ sense of professional agency in the classroom in a five-year follow-up. The results showed three distinctive profiles: a high sense of professional agency (64%), a moderate sense of professional agency (32%), and a low sense of professional agency (4%) in the classroom. The changes detected in the three teachers’ sense of professional agency profiles varied. The profiles were associated with teacher groups (i.e., primary teachers, subject teachers, and special education teachers), but not with stress, attrition intention or school size. The results imply that teachers’ sense of professional agency in the classroom does not always increase in tandem with experience, and thus, different kinds of support are needed for cultivating teachers’ sense of professional agency over time.Peer reviewe

Opiskelumahdollisuudet Espanjassa – opas suomalaisille

Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli koota valmiiksi löytyvistä kirjallisista lähteistä sekä haastatteluista tietoa Espanjassa opiskelusta sekä siihen valmistautumisesta ja tehdä aiheesta lyhyt opas. Toimeksiantajana toimi vuonna 1957 perustettu Suomi-Espanja Seura Ry, joka kaipasi internetsivuilleen lisää tietoa Espanjassa opiskeluun liittyen. Opinnäytetyö ja opas perustuvat kirjallisuuteen, internetistä löydettyyn tietoon sekä haastatteluihin. Empiiristä tietoa kerättiin haastattelemalla huhtikuussa 2012 seitsemää henkilöä, jotka ovat opiskelleet Espanjassa. Vastaukset tukivat kirjallisuudesta ja inter-netistä löytynyttä tietoa ja toivat esille myös uusia käytännön asioita haastateltavien ko-kemuksista. Tutkielmassa käsitellään ensin teoriaa ulkomailla opiskelusta sekä kulttuurisokista, jon-ka jälkeen esitellään Espanjan koulutusjärjestelmää ja opiskelua Espanjassa. Sen jälkeen työssä kerrotaan haastattelututkimuksesta ja sen tuloksista, sekä oppaan laatimisesta. Lopussa pohditaan tutkimuksen tuloksia ja produktion onnistumista. Haastatteluiden tuloksista jää melko positiivinen kuva Espanjassa opiskelusta. Haasta-teltavat kokivat saaneensa ulkomailla opiskelusta korvaamattomia kokemuksia ja parantaneensa kielitaitoaan. Suurin osa haastateltavista suosittelisi Espanjaa opiskelumaaksi lähinnä kokemusten ja kielen oppimisen vuoksi enemmän kuin korkeatasoisen koulutuksen vuoksi. Opinnäytetyön produktiona syntyi kattava tietopaketti Espanjan opiskelumahdollisuuksista suomalaisille, opiskelusta käytännössä sekä lähtöön valmistautumisesta. Oppaan kohderyhmänä ovat lähinnä suomalaiset nuoret ja aikuiset, jotka ovat kiinnostuneita mahdollisuuksista opiskella Espanjassa.This Bachelor’s thesis examines the possibilities of studying in Spain for the Finnish. The main objective of the study was to collect existing information from literature and the internet and to interview Finns who have studied in Spain. The study resulted in a brief guide as a product accompanying the thesis. The aim was to provide infor-mation for Finns who are considering studies in Spain. The theory section of the thesis focuses on studying abroad in general as well as the concept of culture shock. The empirical part includes interviews and presents the pro-cess of making the product. The interviews were carried out with seven different per-sons who had studied in Spain. The questions were sent in April 2012 by e-mail. The interviews revealed quite positive opinions on studying in Spain. Most of the in-terviewees recommended Spain as a destination, especially for getting new experiences and learning the language, however, not so much for tertiary level education. In the product of the thesis existing information and information from the interviews were combined to create a guide for studying in Spain. Naturally, the guide includes information on studying in Spain in general, illustrating arrangements before the departure, culture shock as well as the benefits from the experience

Sullanmaa, Jenni, Kirsi Pyhalto, Janne Pietarinen, and Tiina Soini, Curriculum Coherence as Perceived by Disrict Level Stakeholders in Large-Scale National Curriclulm Reform in Finland, The Curriclum Jourmal, 30(3, 2019), 244-263.

Reports a factor analysis study of the factors in curriculum coherence that stakeholders perceived in Finish curriculum reform (consistency, integration, and alignment between objectives, content, and assessments)