Special Features of the Finnish Education System: Reasons Behind Finnish Students' Success in PISA (Scientific Literacy)

Jari Lavonen, Professor of Physics and Chemistry Education at the University of Helsinki, gave a presentation about the reasons behind Finnish students' success in PISA (scientific literacy).

The notes from his presentation are as follows:

PISA framework 2006 had a science emphasis, measuring knowledge about science and the knowledge about the use of science. For example:

• identification of scientific issues
• explanation of phenomena
• drawing of evidence-based conclusions

Questions:

• open or closed answer
• different competencies
• knowledge categories
• application area
• setting
• sample question, Level 3, about acid rain. 65% of Finnish students correctly answered the question, while 43% at the OECD average

Competence areas:

• Finland -- 70 points above the OECD average
• 70 points is approximately one proficiency level
• Scandinavian countries are close to the OECD average. Why? The Finnish answer: teacher training, students try harder, they take PISA seriously, fewer empty answers. The Scandinavian answer: Finnish teaching methods are old fashioned

Low achievers vs. high achievers

• Finland -- few low achievers
• Scandinavia -- performance even on all 6 levels
• Hungary, Poland, Estonia, Korea -- profile similar to Finland's
• UK, USA, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, France -- opposite profile to Finland's

Performance within schools vs. performance between schools

• Finland -- low variation between schools
• Germany, Czech Republic -- high variation between schools
• e.g. Germany -- already differentiation at the age of PISA testing (15)
• if PISA took place one year later, Finland would have a bigger difference within the age group

Interest of Finland

• high human development index leads to less interest in school
• Finland's interest in science lower than OECD level

Education policy (with PISA data)

• science teaching from teacher education, local curriculum, learning materials
• Finland's national curriculum, textbooks, teacher training, responsible for high scores in PISA scientific literacy
• Japan -- juku responsible
  

Main cornerstones of education policy:

• consistent and long-term policy
• commitment to a knowledge society
• equality e.g. effective special education
• local power of education
• culture of trust in the education system
• budget: Finland 65.3%, OECD average 53.2%
• discipline: Finland 96%, OECD average 80.5%
• access: Finland 97%, OECD average 76%
• school size: Finland (less than 20 students) 50%, OECD average 47% of class size 21-25 students
  

Finland's PISA head teacher report:

• 91.7% pubic schools
• OECD: 82.7%
• 97.5% reported that 99% of funding came from the government
• 64.3% of students not divided by ability

Science subjects in school:

• grades 1-4 -- integrated curriculum: environment and natural studies, 9 hours per week
• grades 5-6 -- integrated curriculum: Biology/geography - 1.5 hours per week; Physics and Chemistry - 1 hour per week
• grades 7-9 -- separate curriculum
• grades 10-12 -- separate curriculum
• Korea -- primary - integrated, 2 hours per week

Finnish science curriculum

• much of content reflected in PISA
• separate science at grades 7-9
• PISA - lifelong learning capacity
• OECD definition of literacy fits well with science goals in Finland

Textbooks

• often responsible for most of the teaching
• good in Finland
• many contextual relationships in textbooks
• e.g. science and humans, science and society

Science teacher education

• subject teachers (grade 7-9, upper secondary) study one major and one minor e.g. math and Chemistry
• primary teachers (grade 1-6) study 13 subjects
• subject teacher education 3+2 years (3 years Bachelor's, 2 years Master's)
  
• BA/BS - major and minor studies -- similar to other students, begin pedagogy and communication studies
• MA/MS level - e.g. history of science, pedagogical theory (undertaken at the university), teaching practice (schools), thesis (either in the subject or in pedagogy)

The University of Helsinki's teacher education programs:

• 11 faculties, 6 have teacher education
• work together to plan the teacher education curriculum
• subject knowledge and skills
• pedagogical knowledge and skills
• competence for continuous professional development

Teaching methods for science

• not much research
• some research after LUMA
• Norris et al. (1996) -- teacher's pedagogy conservative, traditional, lots of practical work
• Simola (2005) -- teachers supported by trust in teachers, "traditional" role believed in and accepted

Summary

• Pehkonen, Antee, and Lavonen (2007) -- education policy, national core curriculum, teacher education, students good understanding in reading
• Aho, Pitkanen, and Sahlberg -- stable environment, educational reform, comprehensive school, interaction of education with other sectors
• obvious reasons:

1. Finnish culture -- trust in education, status of teachers
2. education policy -- widely accepted vision of knowledge-based society, devolution of power, trust
3. comprehensive school -- goals for science education and textbooks, headmaster as pedagogical director, school practice e.g. lunch, special education
4. teacher education -- the old fashioned way, respected, 5 year training