This paper analyses how three European countries produce and use data within a specific educational policy field, that of school leaving and graduation. It compares how stakeholders in England, Finland and the Netherlands know what happens to the leavers from schools and universities. Through gathering evidence about the methodological…

This study asks how Finnish 6-year-olds who stay at home before school start compare in educational outcomes with children who attend public day care. Earlier studies have shown that participation in public day care can enhance school performance especially among disadvantaged children. In Finland, the child home care allowance scheme supports the…

Learning difficulties have been found to dilute the possibilities that young adults have in their educational careers. However, during the last few decades, education has become increasingly important for employment and overall life satisfaction. In the present study, we were interested in the effects of mathematical and reading difficulties and…

Recent efforts in the science education community have highlighted the need to integrate research and theory from science communication research into more general science education scholarship. These synthesized research perspectives are relatively novel but serve an important need to better understand the impacts that the advent of rapidly…

Drawing on comparative analyses from nine Western countries, we ask whether local-born children from a wide range of immigrant groups show patterns of female advantage in education that are similar to those prevalent in their host Western societies. We consider five outcomes throughout the educational career: test scores or grades at age 15,…

This paper evaluates the labour market effects of the introduction of the polytechnic education system in Finland. The polytechnic reform gradually transformed former vocational colleges into polytechnics. Since the timing of the reform differed across schools, we can compare the performance of polytechnic graduates to the performance of…

This study followed up on the life-courses of 23 former special education students with emotional and behavioral disabilities from a comprehensive school to further education, work, and adulthood. The students attended special classes for pupils with emotional and behavioral difficulties in a small town in southern Finland in 1985-1987. The…

This book identifies how consensus on vocational education and training (VET) policy is sought in a number of countries where interesting models have emerged. The focus of the book is on the principles of stakeholding and consensus applied to policy formulation and implementation in vocational education and training. The international case studies…

Examines working forms of the adult education system in Finland, including municipal adult education, boarding schools, national education organizations, distance studies and educational services, administration of adult education, university teaching and research of adult education, and adult education organizations. (CT)

The following 14 papers are provided: (1) "Perfil del profesional de la informacion en Venezuela" with a synopsis in English: "Profile of the Information Professional in Venezuela" (A. D. Anton and M. S. de Arenas); (2) "The Modern Information Professional in the Caribbean Setting" (D. Douglas); (3) "Development…

Youth unemployment is hardly new, but in the 1980s it poses unprecedented problems because economic growth no longer seems to provide the necessary jobs. Youth labor markets are being stripped of entry-level jobs by new technologies, changes in the global division of labor, and the upgrading of occupational structures. This paper describes…

This document contains 7 papers that evolved from 44 case studies of access to vocational guidance for people at risk of social exclusion in 5 European countries. The following papers are included: "Introduction" (Pamela Clayton); "Access to Vocational Guidance in Italy" (Silvana Greco, Marco Maiello); "Access to…

Increasing globalization has spotlighted a range of international approaches to career and technical education (CTE), including the German dual system, the British National Vocational Qualifications and General National Vocational Qualifications, and Australia's Vocational Education and Training and Technical and Further Education systems. Across…

This document contains three papers on issues in evaluation. "Evaluation of the Method of Modeling: A Case Study of the Finnish Steel Industry" (Ville Nurmi) describes the method of modeling as an educational strategy to support both specific goal-directed transformative learning focused on work process and learning in workplaces, and it…

This book contains 28 papers about the current status of occupational education in Finland, with special emphasis on context factors, structural and pedagogical reform, and quality management. The following papers are included: "Introduction of Educational Structure in Finland" (Johanna Lasonen, Marja-Leena Stenstrom); "Vocational…