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
   

LUMA

In the 1990s, LUMA was born.  The LU in LUMA stands for luonnontieteet, or natural science, and the MA stands for matematiikkaa, or mathematics.  LUMA began in 1996 as an attempt to improve skills in science and mathematics.  

Jointly supported by the general school and vocational school tracks, LUMA attempted to raise interest in science and mathematics as well as achievement in those areas, especially among girls. 

The Ministry of Education, National Board of Education, universities with teacher training courses, municipalities, and schools all had stakes in the project.