• Kielenkäyttö ja tavat toimia tekstien kanssa vaihtelevat tiedonalalta toiselle. • Sisällön oppi... more • Kielenkäyttö ja tavat toimia tekstien kanssa vaihtelevat tiedonalalta toiselle. • Sisällön oppiminen on aina myös tiedonalan kielen oppimista. • Lukuaineissa kieli-ja tekstikäytänteet jäävät helposti huomiotta. • Tiedonalan kieli-ja tekstikäytänteitä on tarpeen opettaa kaikissa oppiaineissa, myös kielissä.
Suomessa laaditaan kansallinen lukutaitostrategia, joka viitoittaa tulevien vuosien lukutaitotyöt... more Suomessa laaditaan kansallinen lukutaitostrategia, joka viitoittaa tulevien vuosien lukutaitotyötä kansallisella ja paikallisella tasolla. Opetushallitus on asettanut lukutaitostrategian työstämistä varten ohjaus- ja projektiryhmät, joiden työ on alkanut vuoden alussa ja valmistuu syksyllä 2021. Kansallisessa lukutaitostrategiassa päivitetään ja tarkennetaan aiempia lukutaidon suuntaviivoja, jotka lukutaitofoorumi julkaisi vuonna 2018.nonPeerReviewe
This is a self-archived version of an original article. This version may differ from the original... more This is a self-archived version of an original article. This version may differ from the original in pagination and typographic details.
Adolescents are in a crucial phase in their lives from the perspective of their education and lit... more Adolescents are in a crucial phase in their lives from the perspective of their education and literacy development. In most European countries, they are about to leave or have recently left basic education, assuming that they master functional literacy required for further studies, citizenship, work life and a fulfilling life. They are expected to master basic reading and writing skills, but also to use their literacy for various purposes in all their roles in their immediate and broader communities. Most importantly, they are expected to use and develop their literacy as a key competence for lifelong learning in a changing world.Yet, many European adolescents are struggling with literacy. Hence, their choices for secondary studies and future careers are limited and their ability to function in the text-based society is insufficient-partly because of the failure of educational systems. In adolescence, developing adequate literacy skills is urgent, as the shortcomings in such a key competence are likely to grow over time. This article reviews the level of adolescent literacy in Europe. First, the overall performance level with a special focus on poor literacy is examined, as well as the most persistent inequities in adolescent literacy. Secondly, the focus turns to developing adolescent literacy and reading instruction, as the article outlines elements of effective literacy education for adolescents in Europe. Adolescent Literacy in Europe Since literacy is an essential key competence for lifelong learning (EC, 2007; OECD 1999, 2009), it has been the object of assessment in many international studies. The most cited and most relevant for adolescents is the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) that assesses 15-year-old students' reading literacy. It focuses on that particular age group, since it is the crucial age when adolescents will soon be leaving compulsory school or have already entered upper secondary education with expectations of functional literacy. Like all the international literacy studies, it focuses on reading literacy and echoes the functional view of reading. The attitudes towards reading and diverse reading activities are also emphasised: reading literacy is understanding, using, reflecting on and engaging with written texts in order to achieve one's goals, develop one's knowledge and potential, and participate in society (OECD, 2009, p. 23). The PISA 2009 results showed that the mean reading performance varied a great deal among the European countries. Finland had the highest mean performance 1 with a clear difference with the Netherlands, the second best European country (Figure 1). The weakest included Romania and Bulgaria, with a much lower performance level than any other EU Member State. The performance level was also clearly below average in Lithuania, Austria, and Luxembourg. Outside the EU, Iceland, Switzerland and Norway showed above-average reading performance at the same level as that of Estonia and Poland (OECD, 2010a).
Jyväskylän yliopisto, Koulutuksen tutkimuslaitos eBooks, 2002
As revealed by the mean scores of the countries participating in the Performance Improvement thro... more As revealed by the mean scores of the countries participating in the Performance Improvement through Strategy Analysis (PISA) assessment of reading literacy, Finland shows the highest reading literacy performance in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD) Finland's performance is significantly higher than that of any other participating country. PISA is a three year survey of the knowledge and skills of 15-yearolds in the principal industrialized countries. In 2000, a total of 265,000 students from 32 countries participated. This book, from the researchers responsible for the implementation of PISA in Finland, tries to open up some perspectives on the possible reasons underlying the high performance of Finnish students in PISA. The book points out that there is no single explanation for the results. It states that the successful performance of Finnish students seems to be attributable to a web of interrelated factors related to comprehensive pedagogy, students' own interests and leisure activities, the structure of the education system, teacher education, school practices, and, in the end, Finnish culture. The book opens up perspectives on this web of explanations not only by analyzing the results of PISA but also by considering some characteristics of the Finnish education system and B 4
In this article, the authors assert that one important way to bring students to a level of caring... more In this article, the authors assert that one important way to bring students to a level of caring about history is through participation. They discuss conceptual considerations and pedagogical possibilities of disciplinary literacy with a focus on transforming students into engaged participants in the practices of historical thinking and learning. The authors are concerned with ways disciplinary teachers can engage all students, including those who are struggling and reluctant, in the demanding practices of expert communities through active participation and by making connections to their personal lives. The article is based on international collaboration between language and literacy researchers, historians, and teacher educators from the U.S, and Finland in a project that aims to study and support the teaching of disciplinary literacy in high school history. The authors’ ideas and recommendations are punctuated by short vignettes of actual classroom practice by secondary history teachers in the U.S. and Finland.peerReviewe
Traditionally, one of the strengths of the Finnish education system has been students’ advanced r... more Traditionally, one of the strengths of the Finnish education system has been students’ advanced reading literacy skills. In PISA assessments, the proficiency levels for mathematics and science have also been high in Finland. Albeit the average level of Finnish student performance has slightly declined in the latest PISA assessments, Finland is still among the highest-ranking countries in the world.
Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, Jun 5, 2017
The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between reading literacy and age... more The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between reading literacy and age in an adult population aged 25 to 65 in Nordic countries using PIAAC 2012 data. More specifically, the study examined to what extent variations in the literacy proficiency of adults are explained by age and the recentness of qualifications when variables related to education, occupation, and skill use are controlled. The statistical method was regression analysis. The recentness of education explained only a part of the performance gap between the oldest adults and others. The significance of the length and scope of initial education in developing literacy proficiency overall, is difficult to compensate. There were insignificant differences between the Nordic countries.
This chapter explores how the entangled relationship between the material and social in teachers'... more This chapter explores how the entangled relationship between the material and social in teachers' perceptions of change can be empirically investigated. More specifically, the chapter adopts a DeleuzoGuattarian rhizoanalytic assemblage approach and the notion of becoming to capture the dynamic and fluid nature of social and material affects. The study re-analyses three teacher interviews from data sets originally collected for different research purposes but with the theme of change relevant in each interview. The findings show that rhizomatic analysis and approaching interviews as assemblages can yield important insights about material realities. For example, they indicate how teachers' ways of becoming depend on complex and unpredictable intra-actions of social and material reality and how different aspects of materiality may constrain or come into conflict with each other and have agency. The chapter concludes by discussing the methodological implications of the essentially non-hierarchical rhizoanalytic approach.
European journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults, Mar 10, 2021
This study used the Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) dataset ... more This study used the Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) dataset to examine informal literacy learning's effects on adults' literacy proficiency. Also, the factors associated with informal literacy learning at and outside of work were studied. The study participants were Nordic adults aged 35-65 years. The statistical method was regression analysis, and the results indicate that informal literacy activities at work are associated primarily with occupation, and informal literacy activities outside of work with education, parents' education and gender. Initial education, occupation, language background and age exerted the strongest estimated associations with reading literacy proficiency. Informal learning, particularly reading outside of work, exerted a statistically significant effect independent of adults' backgrounds, indicating that it may offer all adults the opportunity to develop literacy proficiency.
• Kielenkäyttö ja tavat toimia tekstien kanssa vaihtelevat tiedonalalta toiselle. • Sisällön oppi... more • Kielenkäyttö ja tavat toimia tekstien kanssa vaihtelevat tiedonalalta toiselle. • Sisällön oppiminen on aina myös tiedonalan kielen oppimista. • Lukuaineissa kieli-ja tekstikäytänteet jäävät helposti huomiotta. • Tiedonalan kieli-ja tekstikäytänteitä on tarpeen opettaa kaikissa oppiaineissa, myös kielissä.
Suomessa laaditaan kansallinen lukutaitostrategia, joka viitoittaa tulevien vuosien lukutaitotyöt... more Suomessa laaditaan kansallinen lukutaitostrategia, joka viitoittaa tulevien vuosien lukutaitotyötä kansallisella ja paikallisella tasolla. Opetushallitus on asettanut lukutaitostrategian työstämistä varten ohjaus- ja projektiryhmät, joiden työ on alkanut vuoden alussa ja valmistuu syksyllä 2021. Kansallisessa lukutaitostrategiassa päivitetään ja tarkennetaan aiempia lukutaidon suuntaviivoja, jotka lukutaitofoorumi julkaisi vuonna 2018.nonPeerReviewe
This is a self-archived version of an original article. This version may differ from the original... more This is a self-archived version of an original article. This version may differ from the original in pagination and typographic details.
Adolescents are in a crucial phase in their lives from the perspective of their education and lit... more Adolescents are in a crucial phase in their lives from the perspective of their education and literacy development. In most European countries, they are about to leave or have recently left basic education, assuming that they master functional literacy required for further studies, citizenship, work life and a fulfilling life. They are expected to master basic reading and writing skills, but also to use their literacy for various purposes in all their roles in their immediate and broader communities. Most importantly, they are expected to use and develop their literacy as a key competence for lifelong learning in a changing world.Yet, many European adolescents are struggling with literacy. Hence, their choices for secondary studies and future careers are limited and their ability to function in the text-based society is insufficient-partly because of the failure of educational systems. In adolescence, developing adequate literacy skills is urgent, as the shortcomings in such a key competence are likely to grow over time. This article reviews the level of adolescent literacy in Europe. First, the overall performance level with a special focus on poor literacy is examined, as well as the most persistent inequities in adolescent literacy. Secondly, the focus turns to developing adolescent literacy and reading instruction, as the article outlines elements of effective literacy education for adolescents in Europe. Adolescent Literacy in Europe Since literacy is an essential key competence for lifelong learning (EC, 2007; OECD 1999, 2009), it has been the object of assessment in many international studies. The most cited and most relevant for adolescents is the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) that assesses 15-year-old students' reading literacy. It focuses on that particular age group, since it is the crucial age when adolescents will soon be leaving compulsory school or have already entered upper secondary education with expectations of functional literacy. Like all the international literacy studies, it focuses on reading literacy and echoes the functional view of reading. The attitudes towards reading and diverse reading activities are also emphasised: reading literacy is understanding, using, reflecting on and engaging with written texts in order to achieve one's goals, develop one's knowledge and potential, and participate in society (OECD, 2009, p. 23). The PISA 2009 results showed that the mean reading performance varied a great deal among the European countries. Finland had the highest mean performance 1 with a clear difference with the Netherlands, the second best European country (Figure 1). The weakest included Romania and Bulgaria, with a much lower performance level than any other EU Member State. The performance level was also clearly below average in Lithuania, Austria, and Luxembourg. Outside the EU, Iceland, Switzerland and Norway showed above-average reading performance at the same level as that of Estonia and Poland (OECD, 2010a).
Jyväskylän yliopisto, Koulutuksen tutkimuslaitos eBooks, 2002
As revealed by the mean scores of the countries participating in the Performance Improvement thro... more As revealed by the mean scores of the countries participating in the Performance Improvement through Strategy Analysis (PISA) assessment of reading literacy, Finland shows the highest reading literacy performance in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD) Finland's performance is significantly higher than that of any other participating country. PISA is a three year survey of the knowledge and skills of 15-yearolds in the principal industrialized countries. In 2000, a total of 265,000 students from 32 countries participated. This book, from the researchers responsible for the implementation of PISA in Finland, tries to open up some perspectives on the possible reasons underlying the high performance of Finnish students in PISA. The book points out that there is no single explanation for the results. It states that the successful performance of Finnish students seems to be attributable to a web of interrelated factors related to comprehensive pedagogy, students' own interests and leisure activities, the structure of the education system, teacher education, school practices, and, in the end, Finnish culture. The book opens up perspectives on this web of explanations not only by analyzing the results of PISA but also by considering some characteristics of the Finnish education system and B 4
In this article, the authors assert that one important way to bring students to a level of caring... more In this article, the authors assert that one important way to bring students to a level of caring about history is through participation. They discuss conceptual considerations and pedagogical possibilities of disciplinary literacy with a focus on transforming students into engaged participants in the practices of historical thinking and learning. The authors are concerned with ways disciplinary teachers can engage all students, including those who are struggling and reluctant, in the demanding practices of expert communities through active participation and by making connections to their personal lives. The article is based on international collaboration between language and literacy researchers, historians, and teacher educators from the U.S, and Finland in a project that aims to study and support the teaching of disciplinary literacy in high school history. The authors’ ideas and recommendations are punctuated by short vignettes of actual classroom practice by secondary history teachers in the U.S. and Finland.peerReviewe
Traditionally, one of the strengths of the Finnish education system has been students’ advanced r... more Traditionally, one of the strengths of the Finnish education system has been students’ advanced reading literacy skills. In PISA assessments, the proficiency levels for mathematics and science have also been high in Finland. Albeit the average level of Finnish student performance has slightly declined in the latest PISA assessments, Finland is still among the highest-ranking countries in the world.
Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, Jun 5, 2017
The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between reading literacy and age... more The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between reading literacy and age in an adult population aged 25 to 65 in Nordic countries using PIAAC 2012 data. More specifically, the study examined to what extent variations in the literacy proficiency of adults are explained by age and the recentness of qualifications when variables related to education, occupation, and skill use are controlled. The statistical method was regression analysis. The recentness of education explained only a part of the performance gap between the oldest adults and others. The significance of the length and scope of initial education in developing literacy proficiency overall, is difficult to compensate. There were insignificant differences between the Nordic countries.
This chapter explores how the entangled relationship between the material and social in teachers'... more This chapter explores how the entangled relationship between the material and social in teachers' perceptions of change can be empirically investigated. More specifically, the chapter adopts a DeleuzoGuattarian rhizoanalytic assemblage approach and the notion of becoming to capture the dynamic and fluid nature of social and material affects. The study re-analyses three teacher interviews from data sets originally collected for different research purposes but with the theme of change relevant in each interview. The findings show that rhizomatic analysis and approaching interviews as assemblages can yield important insights about material realities. For example, they indicate how teachers' ways of becoming depend on complex and unpredictable intra-actions of social and material reality and how different aspects of materiality may constrain or come into conflict with each other and have agency. The chapter concludes by discussing the methodological implications of the essentially non-hierarchical rhizoanalytic approach.
European journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults, Mar 10, 2021
This study used the Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) dataset ... more This study used the Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) dataset to examine informal literacy learning's effects on adults' literacy proficiency. Also, the factors associated with informal literacy learning at and outside of work were studied. The study participants were Nordic adults aged 35-65 years. The statistical method was regression analysis, and the results indicate that informal literacy activities at work are associated primarily with occupation, and informal literacy activities outside of work with education, parents' education and gender. Initial education, occupation, language background and age exerted the strongest estimated associations with reading literacy proficiency. Informal learning, particularly reading outside of work, exerted a statistically significant effect independent of adults' backgrounds, indicating that it may offer all adults the opportunity to develop literacy proficiency.
EUROCALL 2018 Future-proof CALL: Language learning as exploration and encounters, 2018
Current technological advancements are timely considering the present understanding of language a... more Current technological advancements are timely considering the present understanding of language as social and multimodal and language education as a process for which both the teacher and the learner are responsible. The role of language assessment, too, has expanded from measuring learning outcomes to promoting learning. There is little denial that technology provides affordances for assessment for learning, the social role of technology in assessment anticipated already twenty years ago (McNamara, 1998).
These developments are recognised in the Finnish National Curricula (e.g. FNBE, 2016) that emphasise the role of technology in the classroom and the role of assessment as guiding the learning process. The uniqueness of the Finnish context is in that Finland does not have standardised external examinations, with the exception of the Matriculation Examination (ME) at the end of the upper secondary school. Furthermore, teachers in Finland have an exceptional freedom as regards how to conduct classroom assessment. While these factors should foster technology-mediated assessment for learning, in actuality, summative assessment appears to dominate teachers’ thinking about assessment and classroom assessment practices (e.g., Välijärvi et al., 2009). However, if teachers' assessment literacy is not very high, which is not a problem unique to Finland (e.g., Hill, 2017), it could be even less so in technology-mediated assessment.
The three papers in this symposium explore whether and how technology shapes teachers’ understanding of and practices in assessment for learning in the context of Finland. First, Professor Huhta will provide an overview of the current developments in technology-mediated assessment in Finland with a particular focus on assessment for learning. Next, Dr. Leontjev, Professor Huhta, and Dr. Hildén will elaborate on the impact of the new digitised Matriculation Examination and the National Core Curriculum on the language classroom, discussing how ME expands ways that learners’ language abilities can be elicited in assessment but also increases the emphasis on summative assessment in the language classroom, basing the latter on the results of a recently conducted survey of upper secondary school teachers of English in Finland. In the final paper, Dr. Sulkunen and Professor Tarnanen will outline – with the focus on languages and literacies – the role of technology-mediated formative assessment in the classroom. Specifically, they will present some digital tools that have been used for supporting assessment process and teachers’ experiences of using these tools.
With the focus on assessment for learning, the symposium will aim to address the topic of the role of technology in the assessment culture and pedagogical practices in Finland. The audience will be invited to contribute to this discussion.
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Papers by Sari Sulkunen
These developments are recognised in the Finnish National Curricula (e.g. FNBE, 2016) that emphasise the role of technology in the classroom and the role of assessment as guiding the learning process. The uniqueness of the Finnish context is in that Finland does not have standardised external examinations, with the exception of the Matriculation Examination (ME) at the end of the upper secondary school. Furthermore, teachers in Finland have an exceptional freedom as regards how to conduct classroom assessment. While these factors should foster technology-mediated assessment for learning, in actuality, summative assessment appears to dominate teachers’ thinking about assessment and classroom assessment practices (e.g., Välijärvi et al., 2009). However, if teachers' assessment literacy is not very high, which is not a problem unique to Finland (e.g., Hill, 2017), it could be even less so in technology-mediated assessment.
The three papers in this symposium explore whether and how technology shapes teachers’ understanding of and practices in assessment for learning in the context of Finland. First, Professor Huhta will provide an overview of the current developments in technology-mediated assessment in Finland with a particular focus on assessment for learning. Next, Dr. Leontjev, Professor Huhta, and Dr. Hildén will elaborate on the impact of the new digitised Matriculation Examination and the National Core Curriculum on the language classroom, discussing how ME expands ways that learners’ language abilities can be elicited in assessment but also increases the emphasis on summative assessment in the language classroom, basing the latter on the results of a recently conducted survey of upper secondary school teachers of English in Finland. In the final paper, Dr. Sulkunen and Professor Tarnanen will outline – with the focus on languages and literacies – the role of technology-mediated formative assessment in the classroom. Specifically, they will present some digital tools that have been used for supporting assessment process and teachers’ experiences of using these tools.
With the focus on assessment for learning, the symposium will aim to address the topic of the role of technology in the assessment culture and pedagogical practices in Finland. The audience will be invited to contribute to this discussion.