What triggers emotions in university teaching?

Refereed article This study explores the range of university teachers’ emotions and, most importantly, triggers of these emotions. Sixteen teachers representing six disciplines were interviewed before and after teaching a specific course. A range of emotions was identified through qualitative content analysis. Emotions ranged from positive to negative, and several triggering elements were identified, which were grouped under five categories: 1) Teaching process, 2) student learning outcomes and experiences, 3) teacher characteristics and teaching skills, 4) student roles and activity levels and 5) interaction between teachers and students. Differences between teachers who had participated in pedagogical courses and those who had not were detected in the triggering elements. The study provides a deeper understanding of the nature and triggering elements of emotions in academic contexts. Identifying what triggers emotions in university teaching is important in supporting teachers to recognize and regulate their emotions.Artikkeli on läpikäynyt referee-menettelyn Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan yliopisto-opettajien kuvaamia opetukseen liittyviä tunteita, sekä näitä tunteita herättäviä tekijöitä. Tutkimukseen osallistui 16 yliopisto-opettajaa kuudelta eri tieteenalalta, jotka haastateltiin ennen opettamaansa kurssia ja sen jälkeen. Aineisto analysoitiin laadullisella sisällönanalyysillä. Opettajat kuvasivat sekä positiivisia että negatiivisia tunteita, ja aineistosta tunnistettiin useita tunteita herättäviä tekijöitä: 1) Opetusprosessin, 2) opiskelijoiden oppimistulokset ja kokemukset, 3) opettajan ominaisuudet ja opetustaito, 4) opiskelijoiden rooli ja aktiivisuus sekä 5) opettajan ja opiskelijoiden välinen vuorovaikutus. Opettajat joilla ei ollut lainkaan pedagogista koulutusta erosivat osittain tunteita herättävien tekijöiden suhteen opettajista joilla oli pedagogista koulutusta. Tutkimuksen tulosten avulla yliopisto-opetukseen liittyviä tunteita sekä tunteita herättäviä tekijöitä voidaan ymmärtää syvällisemmin. Tunteita herättävien tekijöiden tunnistaminen on tärkeää, jotta opettajia voidaan tukea tunnistamaan ja säätelemään opetukseen liittyviä tunteitaan

Personal epistemology of university students: Individual profiles

The aims of this study were to examine and compare the consistency of personal epistemology profiles among university students representing three academic disciplines. Student interview data (N = 87) were analyzed in order to reveal students’ conceptions of knowledge, thinking and reasoning. The individual answers were examined and rated on a scale from absolutist to evaluativist thinking. On the basis of the student answers, three personal epistemology profiles were identified from the data: a) absolutist profiles; b) relativistic profiles; and c) evaluativist profiles consisting of the subgroups entitled “limited” and “sophisticated”. The categorization of personal epistemology profiles was compared with background variables such as age, major subject and study phase. The results indicated that the personal epistemology profiles varied significantly among students on the basis of the background variables. Explanations for the consistent and inconsistent personal epistemology profiles are discussed in more detail.Peer reviewe

Graduates' evaluations of usefulness of university education, and early career success - a longitudinal study of the transition to working life

A successful transition from university to working life requires that graduates are able to employ their education and academic competences in real working-life contexts. Our previous research showed that graduates varied in how they were able to reflect on their competences at the time of graduation. The present longitudinal mixed-method study follows the same graduates and explores their evaluations of the usefulness of university education and career success, three years after graduation. The follow-up data consisted of 57 graduates' survey answers analysed by quantitative and qualitative methods. The results showed that graduates who were able to describe and evaluate more competences at the time of graduation perceived their current jobs to correspond more to their education. Graduates with more limited evaluations of their competences, on the other hand, had experienced more challenges related to employment and were more uncertain of their goals. The results also showed that having diverse competences and an ability to recognise them at the time of graduation is important for later career success and may also be related to what kind of challenges graduates face in working life.Peer reviewe

Challenges in Argumentation and Paraphrasing Among Beginning Students in Educational Sciences

The present study aimed to identify difficulties in writing at the beginning of educational science programmes in the Finnish Open University by analysing the students’ written argumentation and use of sources at the textual level. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results showed that many students began their educational studies with weak writing competencies. While many of the problems were directly related to students’ failure to explain the ideas in their sources in their own words, some problems pertained to other aspects, such as the inability to construct convincing arguments. Understanding the nature of the problems in writing encountered by beginning students in educational sciences can help teachers foster students’ participation in academic discourse.Peer reviewe

Challenges in exploring individual's conceptions of knowledge and knowing : Examples of research on university students

This chapter analyses challenges in exploring the conceptions of knowledge and knowing. It firstly introduces empirical methods that have been applied to investigate individuals’ conceptions of knowledge. After that, the chapter elaborates methodological and theoretical challenges related to this issue based on current research. Finally, conclusions and methodological recommendations for further studies are presented. Although this chapter focuses especially on research of university students, our broader aim is to demonstrate the methodological and theoretical challenges from the perspective of developmental and educational psychology more generally.Peer reviewe

What Constitutes the Surface Approach to Learning in the Light of New Empirical Evidence?

This study aims, firstly, to examine the nature of the surface approach to learning in today’s university context, and secondly, to explore the factors that explain variations in the use of this approach. The 61 participants were studying in six Bachelor programmes representing various disciplines. These students scored above average on a surface approach scale and volunteered to be interviewed. One compulsory course was selected from each programme. Five surface approach profiles emerged showing variation from a full surface approach to a deep approach with memorisation. Despite very similar high scores on the surface approach scale, students varied in their use of surface-level processes. Thus, the inventory data did not capture the full variation in the students’ use of the surface approach to learning. Rich research methods are therefore needed to better understand the nature of students’ personal aims as well as their study processes and practices.Peer reviewe

The Added Value of a PhD in Medicine - PhD Students’ Perceptions of Acquired Competences

Peer reviewe

Exploring first-year university students’ learning journals: conceptions of second language self-concept and self-efficacy for academic writing

This qualitative study analyzes first-year university students' conceptions of their second language (L2) self-concept and self-efficacy for academic writing in English. The data consist of learning journals (N = 74), collected at a Finnish university in an English as a medium of instruction (EMI) context. L2 self-concept descriptions included positive, mixed, and negative ends of the continuum as well as stories of change. These descriptions encompassed various contextual mentions including grades, the current EMI context, and social comparison. The self-efficacy beliefs for academic writing reflected a stage of change among the students. The students reporting more positive, emerging self-efficacy described sensations of familiarity with academic writing. In turn, the students reporting low self-efficacy emphasized that academic writing was new and that they needed more guidance and feedback. An analysis of how the L2 self-concept conceptions and self-efficacy beliefs for academic writing co-occurred on an individual level revealed further variation among this group. Nevertheless, the negative L2 self-concept conceptions seemed to co-occur more with low self-efficacy for academic writing. Furthermore, the findings suggest that positive L2 self-concept conceptions may be of help when building self efficacy for academic writing in English. The implications are discussed on theoretical and pedagogical levels.Peer reviewe