The positioning of dual qualification studies in Finnish upper secondary education and government policy since the 1980s

This article explores the positioning of dual qualifications (DQs) in the Finnish education policy and the education system since the late 1980s. The analysis is carried out in the context of academic-vocational divide. At the end of the 1980s, Finland questioned the functionality of the strict academic-vocational divide in post-compulsory education, and a unified upper secondary education was initiated. DQ was the result of two contradictory political discourses: the aim to make education system more equal and the 1990s’ market oriented education policy. In the 2000s, although segregation at the upper secondary level was strengthened, the DQ simultaneously became an established study route. However, in 2007 due to changes in political power, the DQ was repositioned on the periphery of education policy and academic-vocational divide became stronger. The main focus as regards the functions of DQs until the end of the 2010s was on efforts to enhance the use of educational resources and improve the possibilities for individual and flexible education choices. The aim of the current government, elected in 2019, is to strengthen cooperation at upper secondary level, which is also expected to include DQs. However, the actualisation might be mitigated by the educational reforms of the previous government.

Matematiikan parhaat osaajat lukion lopussa ja heidän matematiikka-asenteissaan tapahtuneet muutokset

Tutkimus perustuu Opetushallituksen ja Kansallisen koulutuksen arviointikeskuksen keräämään pitkittäisaineistoon. Samaan ikäluokkaan kuuluvat oppilaat ovat osallistuneet kansallisiin matematiikan kokeisiin ja matematiikka-asenteita kartoittaviin kyselyihin vuosien 2005–2015 aikana neljällä eri mittauskerralla perusopetuksen kolmannelta vuosiluokalta toisen asteen loppuun. Tutkimusaineiston kokonaisotos käsittää yhteensä 3896 oppilasta. Tutkimuksessa keskitytään tarkastelemaan matematiikassa parhaiten menestyneitä opiskelijoita. Matematiikan parhaiksi osaajiksi määritetään kansalliseen matematiikan kokeeseen osallistuneet lukiolaiset, jotka saivat pitkän matematiikan ylioppilaskokeesta arvosanan laudatur tai eximia cum laude approbatur (n = 146). Ensin tutkimuksessa selvitetään, miten parhaiden osaajien matematiikka-asenteet muuttuivat perusopetuksesta lukion loppuun ja toiseksi, miten opetuksen pedagogiset ratkaisut yläkoulussa ja lukiossa selittävät osaamiseltaan parhaiden tyttöjen ja poikien asenteissa tapahtuneita muutoksia. Selittävien tekijöiden analyysissa käytetään päätöspuuanalyysia (DTA) ja lineaarista regressioanalyysia. Matematiikan parhaiden osaajien matematiikasta pitäminen kasvoi lukio-opintojen aikana, mutta minäkäsitys ja kokemus matematiikan hyödyllisyydestä laskivat. Matematiikassa parhaiten menestyneiden tyttöjen asenteissa tapahtuneet muutokset poikkesivat asenteiden yleisestä muutossuunnasta. Parhaiden tyttöjen minäkäsitys kasvoi yläkoulun ja lukion aikana lähes parhaiten menestyneiden poikien tasolle ja tytöt pitivät matematiikasta lukion lopussa poikia enemmän. Matematiikassa parhaiten menestyneiden tyttöjen ja poikien asenteiden kehittymistä selittivät erilaiset opetuksen pedagogiset ratkaisut. Molemmilla myönteisiä asenteita vahvistivat yleisesti oppilaskeskeisyyteen, yhteistoiminnallisuuteen ja oppijoiden tarpeiden huomioimiseen liittyvät pedagogiset ratkaisut. In English The study is part of a longitudinal research. Students belonging to the same age group were followed from the third grade of primary education to the end of upper secondary level. The data was collected by EDUFI and FINEEC during 2005–2015. The data consists of 3896 students. The target group consists of mathematically high-achieving students at the end of their studies in upper secondary school. The definition of high-achieving students based on success in matriculation examination of advanced math (n = 146). First we examine how high-achieving students’ attitudes towards mathematics change from primary education to the end of upper secondary level and then how pedagogical solutions in grades 7–9 and in upper secondary level explain boys’ and girls’ changes in attitudes. Decision tree analysis (DTA) and regression analysis were used to analyse the data. The results indicated that high-achieving students liked more mathematics during upper secondary school but self-concept and experience of usefulness of mathematics decreased. The changes of high-achieving girls’ attitudes differed from the general trend of change. High-achieving girls’ self-concept increased almost to the same level than high-achieving boys’ during grades 7–9 and in upper secondary school. Additionally, girls liked mathematics more than boys at the end of upper secondary level. The development of high-achieving girls’ and boys’ attitudes was explained by different pedagogical solutions. Both girls’ and boys’ positive attitudes were generally reinforced by pedagogical solutions related to student-centeredness, cooperative learning and paying attention to students’ needs. Fulltext in Finnish.

Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP). A Transversal Model to Support Educational Continuity Fostering Resilience, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship

Throughout its history, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), a public institution, has always been a guide of social and economic development of the state of Puebla. From one moment to another, the state was unexpectedly immersed in the Covid-19 pandemic that caused the sudden migration from a mostly face-to-face instructional model to an online one. Immediately, the institution summoned different staff members to define and analyze the situation and then establish actions to guarantee educational continuity.As part of this analysis, they identified opportunities specifically at the upper secondary level, which includes high school. In particular, one opportunity was to offer entrepreneurship courses in an online format, capitalizing on the experience gained from the undergraduate program. Given the characteristics of the pandemic, the analysis also highlighted that the crisis would have severe economic effects on the students and their families, diminishing their income.It is estimated that the entrepreneurship education program reached 18,000 people, including students, faculty members, and parents. Over 10,000 more people will be reached throughout the rest of the year. Therefore, it is essential to strengthen the resilience, innovation, and entrepreneurial capacity of the university ecosystem.

SOME PROPOSALS IN TEACHING READING INFORMATIONAL TEXT STRUCTURE FOR UPPER – SECONDARY LEVEL TO RESPONSE THE 2018 LANGUAGE ARTS AND LITERATURE PROGRAM

Bài viết tiếp cận văn bản thông tin từ góc độ cấu trúc của một văn bản phi hư cấu; qua đó, phân tích yêu cầu đọc hiểu loại văn bản này ở bậc trung học phổ thông trong Chương trình Ngữ văn 2018. Nhằm đảm bảo hành chức xã hội của loại văn bản, một số biện pháp đã được đề xuất như: các thiết kế phần ghi bài văn bản thông tin, mẫu kế hoạch dạy học đọc hiểu văn bản thông tin và các nguyên tắc dạy đọc hiểu văn bản thông tin. Các biện pháp đều được xây dựng trên cơ sở dạy học văn bản thông tin theo đặc trưng thể loại – từ góc độ cấu trúc văn bản, đáp ứng các yêu cầu về đọc hiểu văn bản thông tin ở Chương trình Ngữ văn 2018 – bậc trung học phổ thông.

Navigation and Negotiation towards School Success at Upper Secondary School: The Interplay of Structural and Procedural Risk and Protective Factors for Resilience Pathways

Young male migrants, in particular, are at higher risk of not completing upper secondary education and do not have the same opportunities to put their educational resources to use in existing educational contexts. This work examines how socially and structurally disadvantaged male adolescents (migration biography and low SES) can be supported in attaining educational success at the upper secondary level by applying the resilience concept of navigation and negotiation, as proposed by Ungar (2005). Within the framework of grounded theory and by a qualitative coding paradigm, we applied an exploratory heuristical approach in order to understand school success under a micro-sociological passage. Data were collected in German-speaking Switzerland as part of the programme’s evaluation, which show, firstly, that inter-individual processes of navigation and negotiation differ depending on the specific people involved and their objectives. Secondly, different forms of development of navigation and negotiation are seen within a single individual, and thirdly, the importance of institutional flexibility becomes apparent when adolescents experience successful processes of navigation or negotiation. The findings are discussed in the context of questions of justice and to their classification within the context of educational and psychological aspects for promoting resilience and on the basis of their overall significance for education policy.