Research Article

Analysis of Finnish Education System to question the reasons behind Finnish success in PISA

Volume: 2 Number: 2 December 25, 2018
EN

Analysis of Finnish Education System to question the reasons behind Finnish success in PISA

Abstract

Finnish students have been showing outstanding achievement in each domain since the very first The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2000. Finland has consistently been not only one of the top achievers but one of the countries with exceptional educational equity as well. In other words, very high literacy scores are just one side of the coin for Finland, what is more extraordinary is very little between-school variation, very high academic and social inclusion, and a high percentage of resilient students, which all point out the “Finnish Miracle” in educational equity. In this paper, we analyze the Finnish Education System to question the reasons behind this extraordinary success. We use three different sources to do that; a literature review, about 100 hours in-class observations, and the interviews with 11 teachers in an international school and a training school in Finland.  The literature review covers a variety of related documents, such as articles, books and some official documents like national core curricula and Finnish Basic Education Act. We also scrutinized some other documents provided by The Ministry of Education and Culture, the highest authority regarding the education, and Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI). Based on the results of this study, we conclude that there is no single and isolated factor but there exists a system of interrelated factors to explain Finnish success. The quality of teachers and teacher education seems to be the most prominent factor in this system. Furthermore, the emphasis on the educational equity, long-term educational policy, culture of trust, reading habit of Finnish people can be the other reasons for this success. Finally, a high level of cooperation helps the educational system to work smoothly.

Keywords

References

  1. Ahtee, M., Lavonen, J., & Pehkonen, E. (2008). Reasons behind the Finnish success in Science and Mathematics in PISA tests. Problems of Education in the 21st Century, 6(6), 18-26.
  2. Çobanoğlu, R. & Kasapoğlu, K. (2010). PISA’da Fin başarisinin nedenleri ve nasillari. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 39, 121-131.
  3. Darling-Hammond, L. (2009). Steady work: How Finland is building a strong teaching and learning system. Voices in Urban Education, 24, 15-25.
  4. EDUFI (2017). Finnish education in a nutshell. Retrieved from https://www.oph.fi/download/146428_Finnish_Education_in_a_Nutshell.pdf
  5. EDUFI (2018). Finnish National Agency for Education. Retrieved from https://www.oph.fi/english
  6. Eraslan, A. (2009). Finlandiya’nın PISA’ daki başarısının nedenleri: Türkiye için alınacak dersler. Necatibey Eğitim Fakültesi Elektronik Fen ve Matematik Eğitimi Dergisi, 3(2), 238-248.
  7. Eurydice (2009). National summary sheets on education system in Europe and ongoing reforms: Finland. Retrieved from https://www.pharmine.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/EURYDICE-national-summary-sheet-on-education-systems-in-Europe-Finland-2009.pdf
  8. Eurydice (2018). National education systems: Finland. Retrieved from https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/population-demographic-situation-languages-and-religions-25_en

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Studies on Education

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Publication Date

December 25, 2018

Submission Date

November 22, 2018

Acceptance Date

December 30, 2018

Published in Issue

Year 2018 Volume: 2 Number: 2

APA
Üstün, U., & Eryılmaz, A. (2018). Analysis of Finnish Education System to question the reasons behind Finnish success in PISA. Studies in Educational Research and Development, 2(2), 93-114. https://izlik.org/JA99JX34RZ
AMA
1.Üstün U, Eryılmaz A. Analysis of Finnish Education System to question the reasons behind Finnish success in PISA. SERD. 2018;2(2):93-114. https://izlik.org/JA99JX34RZ
Chicago
Üstün, Ulaş, and Ali Eryılmaz. 2018. “Analysis of Finnish Education System to Question the Reasons Behind Finnish Success in PISA”. Studies in Educational Research and Development 2 (2): 93-114. https://izlik.org/JA99JX34RZ.
EndNote
Üstün U, Eryılmaz A (December 1, 2018) Analysis of Finnish Education System to question the reasons behind Finnish success in PISA. Studies in Educational Research and Development 2 2 93–114.
IEEE
[1]U. Üstün and A. Eryılmaz, “Analysis of Finnish Education System to question the reasons behind Finnish success in PISA”, SERD, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 93–114, Dec. 2018, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA99JX34RZ
ISNAD
Üstün, Ulaş - Eryılmaz, Ali. “Analysis of Finnish Education System to Question the Reasons Behind Finnish Success in PISA”. Studies in Educational Research and Development 2/2 (December 1, 2018): 93-114. https://izlik.org/JA99JX34RZ.
JAMA
1.Üstün U, Eryılmaz A. Analysis of Finnish Education System to question the reasons behind Finnish success in PISA. SERD. 2018;2:93–114.
MLA
Üstün, Ulaş, and Ali Eryılmaz. “Analysis of Finnish Education System to Question the Reasons Behind Finnish Success in PISA”. Studies in Educational Research and Development, vol. 2, no. 2, Dec. 2018, pp. 93-114, https://izlik.org/JA99JX34RZ.
Vancouver
1.Ulaş Üstün, Ali Eryılmaz. Analysis of Finnish Education System to question the reasons behind Finnish success in PISA. SERD [Internet]. 2018 Dec. 1;2(2):93-114. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA99JX34RZ

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