Sari Havu-Nuutinen

1. Inclusive vocational education has received growing attention in policy and research at international and national levels, with a focus on equitable participation in learning and transitions fro...

This study examines how Finnish and Korean teachers employed strategies to manage stress and sustain task motivation during hybrid teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using 282 open-ended responses (with 109 Finnish and 173 Korean responses), a cross-national comparative content analysis was conducted. Teachers’ strategies were analyzed using theory- and data-driven approaches to examine their roles in regulating stress management and teaching-related task motivation (Tr-TTM). Changes in Tr-TTM were analyzed as dynamic flows linked to strategy use within instructional contexts. The findings suggest that collegial support was central in both countries, though its form and function differed. Outdoor activities and task-regulation strategies were identified among teachers in the Finnish context, while effectiveness and perseverance strategies were identified among teachers in the Korean context. Tr-TTM flows revealed two contrasting patterns: contextually feasible strategy use was associated with increased motivation, while absence or misalignment of strategies corresponded with motivational decline or stability. These highlight that strategies are not inherently effective; their association with motivation appears to depend on the feasibility of execution, which is shaped by institutional and instructional conditions. Adaptive, context-sensitive strategies were associated with sustaining teaching continuity under demands. Overall, this study advances our understanding of teachers’ strategies across contexts during educational disruption and underscores the importance of support and conditions for strategy selection and implementation.

This study explores what types of metacognitive skills (MS) (planning, monitoring and evaluation) are activated with students in three age cohorts by a mathematical problem-solving task and reflective prompts. The study is also interested in determining possible age-based differences in students’ MS. The data consisted of material from 225 Finnish comprehensive school students from the sixth, seventh and ninth grades. The students participated in an individual in-person interview with a researcher, at the beginning of which they solved a closed problem-solving task. Employing theory-guided content analysis complemented by quantitative analyses, the findings revealed a strong emphasis on planning skills, with some significant differences observed across grade levels regarding planning and evaluation skills in favour of ninth graders compared to sixth graders. However, in most cases, MS were not activated without reflective prompts. This suggests that reflection is not inherently embedded in the design of closed mathematical problems. While the problems themselves can initiate reflection, prompts significantly enhance the activation of MS. Thus, in the context of mathematics education, it is crucial to embed structured reflective prompts within problems to effectively support students’ metacognitive development. The findings highlight the need for further research on how various types of tasks influence the activation of MS across different age groups. Such insights are essential for designing mathematics tasks that not only foster proficiency in mathematical problem-solving but also stimulate students’ metacognitive processes critical for mathematical learning.

Every student comes to science class with unique skills and problem-solving abilities; unfortunately, there is limited research on how to differentiate instruction so that equitable progress can be made for every learner. We used a novel pedagogical approach to differentiate for a wide range of problem-solving abilities when students were learning to solve high school biology problems. Eighty-seven students were given tiered problem sets and asked to choose and solve one of the three differentiated problems; each problem was presentedwith an explicitly different level of difficulty. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach, we examined which problem students chose to solve, why and how they chose their problem, and how well the student’s choices aligned with their perceived abilities. A majority of students (88%) chose the problem that aligned with their perceived abilities, and the most effective alignment was the problem a little more difficult than they were used to solving. This differentiated approach helped ensure that a wide range of studentabilities received equitable problem-solving experiences regardless of ability. Choice and alignment were important to students’ learning to solve problems.

This study examined science capital among Finnish adults ( N = 1572), who responded to 37 survey items assessing science capital. Factor analysis suggested four science capital dimensions: visiting science-related places, science attitudes, science-related self-efficacy, and early support for studying natural sciences. Higher education and higher parental education were linked to higher science capital across all dimensions. Older participants exhibited lower science-related self-efficacy, less early support, and more negative science attitudes than younger respondents. Age and education were stronger predictors of science-related self-efficacy and early encouragement for men than women, and mothers’ education had a weaker effect on science-related self-efficacy for men. The results show that science capital is a multidimensional construct and highlights that younger generations in Finland have had more opportunities to develop their science capital. These findings emphasize the need for early and equitable support to foster positive science attitudes and participation.

Inquiry-based science fieldwork (IBSF) is a widely recognised educational approach that fosters active student engagement and deeper conceptual understanding. However, implementing IBSF in primary science education can present challenges, particularly related to complex learning content and the need for teacher and peer support. These challenges also offer opportunities for pedagogical innovation. This study employed a qualitative case study design to explore which science learning contents primary students found most challenging during IBSF and to examine their experiences of teacher and peer support throughout the process. Twenty students, aged 12 to 14, from two primary schools in Namibia were purposefully selected to participate in a four-week intervention based on the Namibian INSHE curriculum. The intervention comprised 2,400 minutes of instruction across three science topics: plants, animal variation, and ecosystems. Semi-structured post-interviews were conducted, and the data were analysed using thematic and data-driven content analysis. Findings indicate that students encountered the most difficulty with the ecosystem topic due to its complexity. Some also struggled with plant-related content, especially identifying plant names and features, which was linked to gaps in prior knowledge and misconceptions. In contrast, the animal content was not seen as challenging, as students found it more familiar and relatable. Students highlighted the importance of teacher support in group management, maintaining a positive learning environment, and promoting cognitive engagement. Peer support—through emotional encouragement, informational assistance, and feedback—played a key role in fostering collaboration and facilitating meaningful exploration during IBSF. This study contributes to ongoing discussions about integrating IBSF in primary education and underscores the importance of structured support in enhancing science learning outcomes.

The bring-your-own-device policy (BYOD) in schools has recently attracted considerable research interest. BYOD allows students to learn subjects like mathematics using personal mobile devices. Accordingly, BYOD can increase students’ desire to learn mathematics in school. In the study we report on here, we assessed 9th grade students’ (n = 500) behavioural intentions to learn mathematics using personal mobile devices in school. Data were collected from 12 urban and rural Namibian public schools through a paper survey. Drawing on the theory of reasoned action with an added facilitating condition component, we predicted students’ behavioural intentions to learn mathematics based on BYOD. The descriptive results show that most students own personal mobile devices and are eager to use them as part of their learning in school. Principal component and confirmatory factor analyses validated the 4-component model. The results indicate satisfactory construct validity. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the influence of the factors on the students’ behavioural intentions. The structural equation modelling results show that the theory of reasoned action and facilitating condition factors predicted students’ behavioural intentions toward BYOD for mathematics learning in school. The findings suggest that educational policymakers should amend existing policies to allow students to learn mathematics using personal mobile devices in school.