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Despite the proven effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing severe illness, many individuals, including older adults who are most susceptible to the virus, have opted against vaccination. Various factors could shape vaccination decisions, including seeking health information (HI). The internet is the primary source of HI today; however, older adults are often referred to as those missing out on digital benefits. The study explores the correlations between information and communication technology (ICT) use, online HI seeking, socioeconomic factors, and COVID-19 vaccination readiness among individuals aged 50 and above in Estonia. The survey data were gathered from 501 people aged 50 and older after the first lockdown in 2020. The outcomes revealed that vaccination readiness positively correlated with factors such as higher educational attainment, greater income, male gender, access to ICT, a readiness to employ digital technologies for health-related purposes, a greater demand for HI, and a higher frequency of seeking it online. There was some discrepancy in the preference of HI sources; for example, vaccination consenters preferred online versions of professional press publications and specific health portals. Based on the findings, it is advisable to encourage older adults to utilize the internet and new technology for health-related purposes. This practice expands the range of information sources available to them, ultimately enabling better decision-making regarding their health behaviors.

In this study, maternal socialization goals in early childhood were linked to qualities of children's self in middle childhood, while also considering maternal education and child gender. Estonian mothers (N = 209; M[subscript age] = 33.6; 52.2% had university education) provided ratings of their socialization goals for children (52.2% girls; M[subscript age] = 6.2), children's self was gauged 4 years later. The more mothers endorsed social conformity-related socialization goals, the fewer different autonomy-related ([beta] = -0.15) and relatedness-related qualities of self ([beta] = -0.21) their children had in their descriptions of themselves and their autobiographical memories. Mothers' self-maximization socialization goals were not linked to the qualities of children's self. Mothers without a university degree endorsed social conformity-related socialization goals more than mothers with a university degree ([beta] = -0.20). Girls referred to more relatedness-related qualities than boys ([beta] = 0.23). The results show that maternal socialization goals do not always have a straightforward effect on different qualities of children's self. Yet, conformity-related goals by mothers predict the qualities of children's later self.

As future academics, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students are be expected to employ learning-centred approach as stated in the Paris Communique (2018) by the European ministers of education. The limited research available about doctoral students' conceptions indicates that they range from content- to learning-centred. Although a few studies explored the factors which prompt students' transformation of conceptions and approach, none specifically focused on PhD students. This comparative case study explored how PhD students describe the transformation in their teaching conceptions and approach towards learning-centredness, and the context surrounding it. The results indicated that participants described the transformation through the gaining of theoretical teaching-related knowledge, being related to dissatisfaction with their own teaching, the application of a learning-centred approach, and time. The teaching-learning context was described mostly as supportive but not always allowing the implementation of transformation. Results suggest that discourse is needed to facilitate critical reflection leading to transformative learning.

This study aimed to identify the factors that foster a collaborative culture in the school improvement process. Estonian schools are characterized by a high degree of autonomy in developing the school curriculum and choosing the appropriate methods for its implementation. As a result, some schools are more successful, while others face difficulties in improving their pedagogical processes. Six Estonian schools with lower performance indicators participated in the School Improvement Program in 2021-2022. In each school, leaders and teachers formed a team together with two mentors. Supported by university experts, the school teams began working on a topic they chose to improve their students' learning while simultaneously increasing the school's leadership capacity by strengthening a collaborative school culture. The results of this qualitative research demonstrate that the arrangement of teamwork and the creation of shared values and goals constitute the key factors in creating a collaborative culture. Collaborative culture can be fostered by composing a stable team, developing routines for collaboration, ensuring open communication among all parties, focusing consistently on the goal, and building trust among participants. The obstacles are resistance to change, an unstable team, no routines for collaboration, a lack of communication, and no commitment to the goal. External support is important for both successful school teams and those facing challenges in the improvement process.

When the need of transforming and remixing music education is illuminated, fields of tensions in relation to the traditional master-apprentice model of teaching often appear. Binaries have been constructed and critiqued in research to describe tensions at various music educational levels. Some studies have also asked for a holistic, "both/and" holding. In higher music education (HME), the need for new approaches in research to understand how teaching and learning is developing are asked for. As a contribution, the overall aim of the article is to illuminate to what extent traditional culture norms and structures are maintained and challenged at three European conservatories. The specific aim is to map possible fields of tension surrounding approaches to teaching and related learning. The analysis in this article partly builds on understandings of culture and institutions, and partly on theories of relational pedagogy. To get access to how leaders, teachers, and students experience participating in the teaching and learning of conservatory cultures, an interview study was planned. The transcriptions were treated by a thematic analysis model. The analysis explored three themes that represent fields of tension: teaching in relation to established cultural structures, to create or not create new learning trajectories, and collaboration or competition--the educational culture. The fields of tension found through the analysis concern relations between the traditional conserved conservatory teaching and new open and diverse thoughts about and actions within in HME teaching. It becomes obvious that creating new learning trajectories should be a common issue, involving students and teachers, as well as leaders of conservatories, and that competition should be supported by collaboration. A consequence of such a pedagogical approach would be that differences between programs for diverse instruments could be balanced, and that all involved could learn from each other, which demands flexibility between individual and collaborative learning activities.

Multimodal learning analytics (MMLA) research has made significant progress in modelling collaboration quality for the purpose of understanding collaboration behaviour and building automated collaboration estimation models. Deploying these automated models in authentic classroom scenarios, however, remains a challenge. This paper presents findings from an evaluation of collaboration quality estimation models. We collected audio, video and log data from two different Estonian schools. These data were used in different combinations to build collaboration estimation models and then assessed across different subjects, different types of activities (collaborative-writing, group-discussion) and different schools. Our results suggest that the automated collaboration model can generalize to the context of different schools but with a 25% degradation in balanced accuracy (from 82% to 57%). Moreover, the results also indicate that multimodality brings more performance improvement in the case of group-discussion-based activities than collaborative-writing-based activities. Further, our results suggest that the video data could be an alternative for understanding collaboration in authentic settings where higher-quality audio data cannot be collected due to contextual factors. The findings have implications for building automated collaboration estimation systems to assist teachers with monitoring their collaborative classrooms.

A concern across many vocational education systems is the high dropout rate from their programs. This problem is likely to be exacerbated at time of low unemployment rates when employers are less demanding about the certification of skills at the time of employment. This qualitative study examines the factors associated with students leaving early from Initial Vocational Education and Training (IVET) institutions in Estonia. The study analyses the challenges and potential risk factors of IVET early leaving from both the students and staff members points of view. The research participants were 20 Estonian IVET students and 12 staff members from various vocational schools. The study highlights the complex interplay of students' challenges and emphasises the importance of addressing them to promote retention and success in vocational education and training programmes. The study employs the Self-Determination Theory, more specifically, the conceptual frame of basic psychological needs to interpret the data. The results of the research indicate that students at risk are mainly shaped by their primary school experience prior to vocational school, with teachers and peers as the main influencers.

While empirical studies of research ethics and integrity are increasingly common, few have aimed at national scope, and even fewer at current results from Central and Eastern Europe. This article introduces the results of the first national research integrity survey in Estonia, which included all research-performing organisations in Estonia, was inclusive of all disciplines and all levels of experience. A web-based survey was developed and carried out in Estonia with a call sent to all accredited Estonian research institutions. The results indicate that the vast majority (89%) of respondents consider research ethics and integrity issues important and view falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism (FFPs) as the most severe forms of misconduct. Self-reporting of FFPs is generally comparable to levels published in other studies (6.2%). Gift authorship (41%) and hampering the work of a colleague (32%) were problematic practices most noticed among colleagues. At the same time, two of the noticed questionable research practices (QRPs) - salami-slicing and misuse of research funding -- were seen as less severe, hinting at the existence of counter-norms that career advancement rules and structural factors like funding policies may encourage. The availability of research ethics and integrity guidelines was considered good. Ethical aspects of studying potentially stigmatising data in a very small research community are discussed in the article and results are analysed through counter-norms andc normative dissonance frames.

Vocational teachers (VTs) have been seen as the key individuals executing changes, solving problems and achieving goals in vocational education and training (VET). Therefore, the work of VTs is fragmented between different types of tasks which influence their professionalism and professionality (individual views, experiences and professional practices of teachers). Despite this, their professionality has been studied remarkably little, and previous studies have focused on different narrow aspects of professionalism. However, it is not clear how various factors, including changes in VET, can shape VTs' perception of their professionality. Based on a meta-analysis, this study aims to create comprehensive knowledge through an empirical model of vocational teacher professionality in the context of VET changes based on the example of Estonian VET. The results show that VTs have expressed different perceptions, evaluations and experiences of change in VET, and therefore different forms of collaboration and learning activities have been used to adapt to changes, which together shape the professionality of VTs. Therefore, three profiles of VT professionality have emerged and the wider scope of the collaboration of VTs fosters more positive attitudes, satisfaction and commitment to their work and profession, while also relating to their higher self-efficacy, which supports coping in demanding pedagogical situations and when faced with new tasks and roles in a changing context.

Based on the expectancy-value perspective on identity and identity formation, this paper explores the relationship between math identity (MI) and the dimensions of motivation (i.e. intrinsic value, attainment value, utility value and perceived competence) and math achievement in primary school. An additional aim of our research was to explore these relationships in different cultural contexts and investigate potential gender and grade differences concerning MI. The participants were 11,782 primary school students from Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Portugal and Serbia. All predictors from the motivation spectrum were significant for students' MI across the examined countries and had a stronger association with MI than math achievement. Among the motivational dimensions, intrinsic value had the strongest association with students' MI. Boys had significantly more positive math identities than girls in Estonia, Finland, Norway and Portugal. The results showed that the grade 4 students perceived themselves less as "math persons" than their grade 3 peers in all countries.

Research has shown that some students who underperform in mathematics overestimate their performance, while others who excel in mathematics underestimate it. Looking at this mismatch of performance and confidence judgement--the Dunning-Kruger effect (DKE)--the current study investigates how well students' confidence judgement and item-specific mathematics competence relate with each other and whether such a relationship differs across six European countries (i.e., Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Serbia and Portugal). We also examine whether perceived competence, mathematics identity, gender, socioeconomic status and immigration background predict this mismatch and whether these demographic factors function differently between the examined countries. The results show that the DKE could be found across grades three and four in all six countries. However, there are country-specific patterns regarding the relationship between performance, mathematics identity and perceived competence; the DKE; and how different demographic variables predict its occurrences in particular subpopulations.

Teacher beliefs and practices related to them could provide varying opportunities for students to develop their agency related to learning math. The aim of the current paper is to explore how different math teacher beliefs (concerning the nature of mathematics, constructivist beliefs, and self-efficacy) relate to different dimensions of student agency in primary education. A two-level multilevel model was analyzed to find out to what extent selected teacher beliefs are associated with student math competence and agency dimensions. The study was conducted in Estonia and data from 3rd and 4th grade students (N = 1557) and their teachers (N = 121) was included in the analysis. The results showed that teacher self-efficacy beliefs, constructivist beliefs, and static views on the nature of mathematics were related to students' agency dimensions. Possible explanations and directions for further studies are discussed.

Mathematics teachers' beliefs are central to mathematics teaching and student learning. Because different aspects of motivation and affect--particularly enjoyment--primarily develop within the classroom context, examining how different teachers' beliefs may affect student outcomes in mathematics is imperative. The current study examines teachers' beliefs about the nature and learning of mathematics in connection to students' motivation (i.e. intrinsic value, utility value and perceived competence) and enjoyment of mathematics across different settings by considering students' mathematics achievement, gender and classroom composition (i.e. socioeconomic and behavioural). Data were collected from 3rd- and 4th-grade mathematics teachers (N = 686) and their students (N = 11,782) in six countries (i.e. Norway, Finland, Sweden, Portugal, Estonia and Serbia). A two-level structural equation modelling technique (TSEM) (i.e. student level and classroom level) with random slopes was employed to address our research questions. The results indicate that students' intrinsic value and perceived competence positively relate to their enjoyment of mathematics in all six countries. Teachers' beliefs about the nature and learning of mathematics moderate the within-classroom relationship between boys and girls and the motivation and enjoyment of learning mathematics in Portugal and Norway. Unlike boys, girls consistently perceive themselves as less competent in mastering mathematics, even in primary school. Classroom socioeconomic composition had a more pronounced influence on teachers' beliefs in Sweden, Norway and Serbia. In relation to teachers' beliefs, classroom behavioural composition was relevant in Estonia and Sweden. In Finland and Norway, classroom composition was essential to boys' and girls' differential motivation and enjoyment of mathematics learning.

This article discusses the findings of qualitative case-study research that looks at pedagogical contexts of adult education programs for migrants in Cyprus, Scotland, Malta, and Estonia. The goal of this research is to understand how Learner-Centered Education (LCE) is promoted within a human-rights framework and implemented as an approach to emancipatory social change. The findings show significant discrepancies in the implementation of LCE. Differences emerged between educational interventions that influence the language-learning and assimilation-integration processes of adults with migrant backgrounds. Informed by these findings, this article builds a case for Emancipatory Learner-Centered Education (ELCE)--a pedagogical approach that goes beyond course adaptations, to engage migrants in consciousness-raising and confidence-building, while fostering communal action between migrants and adult educators.

The study of variables related to the use of ICT in the classroom is a topic of interest that has been frequently researched. In this paper, after examining the importance of teacher training in explaining the use of ICT in the classroom, we focused on analysing the weight of variables related to teaching practices and the organisational context of schools, which are variables that are less frequently addressed in the literature. To do so, a secondary analysis was carried out using data provided by the Teaching and Learning International Study (TALIS 2018). Specifically, we worked with a sample of 3,918 principals and 64,899 teachers from a total of 3921 schools in 21 countries. A multilevel binary regression model with random intercept, fixed coefficients and a two-level structure with teachers at level 1 and schools at level 2 was used. The results indicate that the presence of ICT in the classroom is associated with self-efficacy in teaching and the cognitive activation of students and with the organisational aspects of the school, which are scarcely addressed by the existing literature on this topic of interest, such as school climate, educational innovation and cooperation among teachers. Based on these results, we reflect on possible ways to promote the use of ICT in the classroom.

School leaders have an important role in supporting implementation of inclusive education practices in schools. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how school leaders' attitudes towards inclusive education are formed. We used the Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education Scale that was developed to measure different facets of attitudes towards inclusive education "for all" students. The instrument was completed by 301 school leaders in Estonia. Three factors describing attitudes in facets of inclusive education practices, vision, and supports were distinguished. Structural Equation Modelling revealed that school leaders' practices towards implementing inclusive education approaches are driven more strongly by their vision than the support available to them, although both aspects have a significant effect on their attitudes towards these practices. However, participation in in-service courses focusing on inclusive education and working as a school leader in a special school had negative association with school leaders' attitudes towards inclusive education practices.

This study considered the influences of socioeconomic status (SES), home learning environment, and age of enrollment in early childhood education and care (ECEC) on early literacy and numeracy development of 5-year-olds in England (N = 2,577), Estonia (N = 2,110), and the United States (N = 2,234) by leveraging data from the International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2018). Structural equation modeling indicated that, in all three countries, SES was positively associated with earlier ECEC enrollment, emergent literacy and numeracy. Earlier ECEC enrollment was positively related to emergent literacy and numeracy in England. The home learning environment was positively related to emergent literacy in the United States and emergent numeracy in England and the United States. Overall, SES had a positive indirect effect on emergent literacy and numeracy through ECEC enrollment age in England. Findings are interpreted against country-specific ECEC policies.

Teachers in Estonia are working in a tense environment of conflicting expectations which, on the one hand, involves a neoliberal approach to standards and, on the other, the humanistic values of education and well-being of students. The purpose of the study was to identify the factors of school climate which ensure both the job satisfaction of teachers and the satisfaction of students, and to analyse the impact of these factors on the teacher-student relationship. The findings are based on the results of interviews with teachers (n=40) and students (n=39) and the results of student questionnaires (n=139) conducted in four schools. The teachers and students who were satisfied with the school and their job perceived the teacher-student relationship through the following aspects: the potential of students, openness to knowledge, the recognition of personal qualities, equal treatment and taking students into account. Despite the external turbulence in the Estonian school system, all schools still have the autonomy to transform their school into an oasis where all parties feel satisfied.

Ethical and sustainable thinking is an important competence in the engineering education to support students' abilities to act and perform in a responsible manner in corporate contexts, and consequently contribute to a sustainable future. This paper investigates engineering students' attitudes towards ethical and sustainable thinking focusing on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) principles in the context of entrepreneurship courses as a part of larger research project. Engineering students from a Finnish and an Estonian university (N = 342) responded to a self-assessment survey. The students' attitudes towards CSR principles were assessed both on the enterprise level and the individual level as expectations of potential future employees. The findings indicate that engineering students acknowledge the need to take into account responsible thinking and that it is important for enterprises to be both socially and environmentally responsible in their activities. The self-assessment tool of ethical and sustainable thinking associated with the entrepreneurship competence model and CSR principles can be helpful in practice when university teachers wish to support and assess their students' attitudes towards CSR principles among other entrepreneurship competencies when creating new course content.

The under-representation of minorities at senior levels in academia has received some research attention in recent years. However, the experience of immigrant women from the former Soviet Union (FSU) in Israeli academia has not been examined. These women are mostly from a generation known as the '1.5 generation' who immigrated to Israel as children. This study focuses on the intersection of immigration and gender that shape the lives and careers of the 1.5 generation women currently employed as senior academics in Israel. Using the theoretical framework of capital, Bourdieu's concepts of cultural and social capital, as well as Borjas' ethnic capital, we analyzed twenty in-depth interviews to examine the perception of these women, their life story, and their professional integration into Israeli academia. We identified two focal points that fostered their success -- (1) the Soviet heritage- selective adoption of ethnic capital, encompassing cultural and social capital of an ethnic group and (2) role models within and outside the family often based on ethnicity. We discuss the obstacles faced by minorities in attempting integration into selective professional guilds.

Despite Estonia being ranked among the highest performing nations in the world-wide testing of students, these encouraging results are somewhat overshadowed by the challenge to overcome the divided school system with different languages of learning that impacts crucially on students' social, academic and professional paths. The study examines teachers' (N = 312) attitudes to languages of learning and teaching through various components from a sociolinguistic perspective. The findings, gathered from a correlation and hierarchical clustering analysis, point to a strong connection between the affective (situational variable), conative (operational variable) and cognitive (situational variable) component of an attitude. The results indicate how attitude direction varies in four sub-groups of the sample when interpreted through the element of the cognitive component. The exploration of the latter underlines the necessity to consider the complexity in teachers' attitudes, as almost two-thirds of the participants share a monoglossic vision of learning and teaching languages, giving preference to either Russian or Estonian. Further research is needed to investigate how to enhance a positive attitude towards both languages of learning and teaching.

When teaching about complex phenomena (e.g. concepts related to the natural environment), good quality questioning could lead to a more profound conceptual change. However, asking questions that help students to construct new knowledge is a challenge for many educators. To help promote better questioning, we analyzed the kind of questions (N = 3168) educators used in "trails" in a digital outdoor learning tool "Discovery Trail" designed for supporting the environmental education field. For analysis we used a model distinguishing cognitively lower-order from higher-order open-ended questions and then categorized the higher order questions by their degree of complexity. Results show that trails created for educational purposes have more cognitively complex questions compared to non-educational trails. Still, only 20% of all the questions used in trails with educational purposes were cognitively complex. Moreover, 60% of all educational trails did not have any cognitively complex open-ended questions, indicating that educators tend not to use the tool for supporting conceptual change. Simple recall questions were mainly used through educational trails. Digital outdoor learning tool creators and users could benefit by considering how to more effectively construct questions that promote conceptual change as this is crucial to support the understanding about complex environmental topics.

The study investigated the relationship between mathematics achievement, cognitive and motor skills, and general intellectual ability among seventy 10-12 years old students with mild intellectual disability (MID) attending regular school (n = 30) and special school (n = 40). The purpose of the study was to identify the critical deficits teachers need to consider when teaching mathematics at the secondary school level. The students attending regular schools had significantly higher fluid intelligence scores (p = 0.036), but we found no difference in the total score of the math achievement test. Special school students were more eager to use assistance and aids when solving math problems (p = 0.040). The study indicated significant associations between basic mathematical skills, verbal and visuospatial processing, and motor skills. Thus, it is essential to compensate for the delay of students' cognitive development to improve their basic mathematical skills and, in general, mathematical performance. The educational placement affects the willingness or ability to seek academic help when solving mathematical problems.

One way to support student teachers learning is by offering them different opportunities to reflect on their own and others' practice. The use of videos is seen as an effective opportunity to support the professional development of teacher education students. This study aimed to find out what are the students' hesitations related to video recording their own teaching and watching the videos of peers, and what do students learn from watching videos of their own and peers teaching. The data was collected from 33 Estonian student teachers, with a written open-ended questionnaire. and was analysed by using qualitative inductive content analysis method. Results indicate that student teachers' hesitations were related to their personal matters, and to pedagogical and content knowledge. Student teachers learned how to cope during the lessons, and new instructional strategies. Their fears about being recorded decreased with the experience. The results are further discussed in the paper.

Background: Studies indicate that access to nature may increase general human health and wellbeing. As a learning environment, the outdoors can also positively influence children's personal and social growth, healthy development, wellbeing and learning abilities. To maximise the potential offered by outdoor learning, it is necessary to gain deeper understanding of its implementation, particularly in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. Purpose: This review study sought to explore a small subset of relevant literature in detail, in order to identify and describe the noted benefits and challenges of implementing outdoor learning in early childhood. Method: A narrative synthesis was undertaken. In total, 20 studies from 10 different countries on learning outdoors during ECEC were selected for in-depth analysis and synthesis. The benefits and challenges of outdoor learning implementation in ECEC were identified and categorised using thematic analysis. Findings: The analysis yielded a detailed description of the opportunities, preconditions and resources for outdoor learning. Six data-driven categories emerged (i) children's holistic development; (ii) health and wellbeing; (iii) multimodal, hands-on learning opportunities; (iv) experiences in and of nature; (v) teachers as mediators; and (vi) the organisation of outdoor learning. Overall, these categories suggested that three main elements need to be considered when planning and implementing outdoor learning: as well as providing experiences in and of nature for children, outdoor learning may benefit the holistic wellbeing and well-rounded development of children and can offer multimodal, hands-on learning opportunities. According to the analysis, one of the main challenges related to teachers' understanding and knowledge around organising and implementing outdoor learning opportunities for young children. Conclusion: In addition to highlighting the compelling potential benefits of outdoor learning in ECEC, the study findings draw attention to the need for teachers to be supported in developing the required competences to implement outdoor learning. In particular, introducing multimodal outdoor learning into educational practice necessitates pre- and in-service teacher education and professional development.

We report results from children learning to read in one of four different languages: Croatian, English, Estonian and Swedish. The languages all have an alphabetical script but vary greatly on the dimension deep-shallow (or complexity-simplicity, or opacity-transparency), i.e., how close orthography and phonology are related. These languages also vary in the complexity and type of grammatical structure. We used tasks to measure phonological awareness, morpho-syntactic processing, word and pseudoword identification speed, working memory, and reading comprehension. In English, Swedish, and Croatian, fluency was the most significant predictor of reading comprehension. In Estonian, morpho-syntactic awareness was the most significant predictor, although reading fluency was a close second. Fluency was of primary importance in reading comprehension because the limitations of working memory result in fast decay of input information. Therefore, it is important to read with fluency for proper text comprehension.

The use of virtual labs in higher education is gaining growing interest, with different debates in the literature about their role in addressing learning outcomes and balancing hands-on activities. This study seeks to understand how labs can be virtualised and thus structured to contribute to engineering education, by adopting an innovative perspective in studying the labs themselves as core assets to be developed for teaching and learning. Following the precepts of grounded theory, we performed a multi-case study of nine labs that underwent a process of virtualisation and their role within three programs of engineering education. Findings revealed (1) the dynamics in uncovering and exploiting the potentialities of different virtualisation paths, by overcoming difficulties in funding or a wider use in different courses, (2) the structural needs, such as stakeholder collaboration specifics and technical update intensity, and (3) the importance of education and research specifics in driving the design and development of virtualised labs. The pattern analysis of the relation between these features guided the development of a typology of virtualised labs that can be ascribed to three structuring phases - identified as foundational, intermediate, and advanced - and constitute the key contribution of this paper for both theory and practice.

A full academic career encompasses both successes and failures. The purpose of this study was to delve into academic successes and failures, going beyond the conventional focus on objective measures, such as performance, rankings, and funding. Through semi-structured interviews with twelve senior academics from seven countries, we explored personal definitions of success and failure and lessons learned from these experiences. Key findings reveal shifts in senior academics' perceptions of success and failure over time and provide a window into what matters to academics throughout their careers. Drawing on concepts from research on 'regret' and 'polarities', we identify 'core realms' of success and failure. We also propose a reconceptualisation of success and failure that goes beyond positioning these as binary opposites and present a more integrated, nuanced, and holistic view of what it means to lead a 'good academic life'. We provide pragmatic reflective prompts for institutions to consider in reimagining policies and practices to better support this vision.

We examined practices and experiences of leadership during the COVID-19 school closures in 2020 by analyzing Estonian (N = 219) and Finnish (N = 775) school leaders' responses to open-ended questions in an electronic survey. In the analysis we used five categories drawn from the data: Making decisions, Re-organizing schoolwork, Communication, Giving support, and Self. The findings show leaders stressing especially the themes of within school communication and giving support both at emotional-level and in the use of technology in teaching. The findings signal a leadership approach composed of care and empathy. Moreover, within the category Self, the leader's ability to lead themselves and manage stress were extensively brought out. We provide four messages reflecting leadership during times of both turbulence and tranquility. For example, a leader's knowledge about pedagogy prepares the ground for meaningful reorganization of teaching and learning. Also, attention should be paid to locally established structures for collaboration across schools as they support leaders' work.

Estonia has since the liberation from the Soviet Union in 1991 successfully branded itself as a digital society and an education nation. This transformation builds on a "sociotechnical imaginary" where the progression of learning and the advancement of future citizens is postulated by a restructuring of the classroom through digital solutions. In this case study, we look at a prototype of a future classroom that was set up at the Estonian pavilion at the world fair EXPO 2020 in Dubai, as part of a nation branding process, promoting the nation's educational system and prosperous ed-tech sector. The future classroom was promoted using slogans and futuristic visuals that targeted foreign investors and policy makers, in a way that suggested that the anticipated digital future already exists in Estonia, and therefore, is available for foreign investment, while at the same time connecting to a national and historical narrative of Estonia as part of the European cultural sphere.

In teacher training, it is important to support prospective teachers as they become reflective practitioners. The aim of the study was to discover what, in the opinion of student teachers, are the advantages and disadvantages of using a video diary for learning purposes compared to a written diary. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 34 student teachers, which was then analyzed using qualitative content analysis. In the opinion of student teachers, the advantages of the video diary format were authenticity, team-building facilitation, efficiency, novelty, professionalism, and historical value. The disadvantages were related to anxiety, technical issues and digital competence, usage demands for location, text composition, and hesitation regarding possible video circulation.

This paper discusses contemporary societal roles of German in the Baltic states (Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania). Speaker and learner statistics and a summary of sociolinguistic research (Linguistic Landscapes, language learning motivation, language policies, international roles of languages) suggest that German has by far fewer speakers and functions than the national languages, English, and Russian, and it is not a dominant language in the contemporary Baltics anymore. However, German is ahead of 'any other language' in terms of users and societal roles as a frequent language in education, of economic relations, as a historical lingua franca, and a language of traditional and new minorities. Highly diverse groups of users and language policy actors form a 'coalition of interested parties' which creates niches which guarantee German a frequent use. In the light of the abundance of its functions, the paper suggests the concept 'additional language of society' for a variety such as German in the Baltics - since there seems to be no adequate alternative labelling which would do justice to all societal roles. The paper argues that this concept may also be used for languages in similar societal situations and, not least, be useful in language marketing and the promotion of multilingualism.

This article sheds light on a paradox in the Soviet educational landscape: the development of specialised foreign-language schools in the context of a purported egalitarian society. These schools endured, and even thrived, through the collapse of the Soviet Union. First, a historical overview for Soviet-era development of specialised-school policies is provided. Second, the development of these specialised schools both generally, as well as in the particular context of the Estonian Soviet Republic, is described. Alumni interviews, archival materials and educational publications provide primary source material for this study. Finally, the article explores criticism of the specialised school.

Educational commons is an emergent paradigm that introduces participatory and democratic learning practices and governance, contrasting neoliberal and self-reliant approaches. Learning is seen as a common good, and so are the educational processes. This article presents evidence from the EU Horizon 2020 funded project SMOOTH and examines two distinct learning environments in Estonia: a non-formal education creativity accelerator and a democratic public school. These two contexts are explored to understand how educational commons are implemented in order to facilitate students' voice and agency. Drawing from ethnographic research, participants' narratives and researchers' observations, the findings are analysed through the Lundy model of participation. The findings demonstrate that the practice of educational commons, or commons-based activities, inherently promotes students' voice and calls for safe and free spaces, while also reinforcing cooperation and responsibility among peers and the wider community. The findings shape implications for practice that envision learning as a shared resource created from the bottom-up and peer-governed. This approach aims for a perspective on education that is both created by, with and for youth.

The aim of this study was to analyze the alignment of visions, missions, and goals for school improvement in an Estonian context. Since school leaders have high levels of autonomy in Estonia, school improvement is strongly influenced by direction setting. In this study, we analyzed 56 school improvement plans to examine the variability of topics in the mission, vision, and goal statements. The main findings revealed that most of the schools were confused in their direction setting, which raises the question of how to ensure effective school improvement in an education system characterized by high autonomy.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused some serious setbacks in primary and secondary education wordlwide. In 2021, the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research (MoER) contracted a group of researchers and expert teachers to design and validate of a set of innovative digital learning resources that support personalized learning paths to meet the needs of a diverse learners trying to work on their knowledge gaps caused by pandemic. This paper presents the results of designing a set of innovative open educational resources for 9th grade mathematics and piloting these in nine pilot schools. Based on the analysis of the results, we identified the main technological and pedagogical challenges in supporting flexible learning paths with interactive digital learning resources in post-COVID mathematics education.

This paper investigates how investments in automation affect the gender pay gap. The evidence of the effects of automation on the labor market is growing; however, little is known about the implications of automation for the gender pay gap. The data used in this paper are from a matched employer–employee dataset incorporating detailed information on firms, their imports, and employee–level data for Estonian manufacturing and service employers for the period of 2006–2018. Through the use of the imports of automation goods as a proxy for the introduction of automation at the firm level, this paper estimates the effect of automation using simple Mincerian wage equations. The causality of the effect is further validated using propensity score matching (PSM). We find that introducing automation enlarges the gender pay gap, and PSM confirms that this also has a higher causal effect on the wages of male employees than female employees. The results imply that a higher representation of women in higher-paid positions does not guarantee a reduction in the gender pay gap in the presence of automation, and appropriate measures in education and retraining are needed to tackle the effect of automation on gender inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author analyzes Estonia as a case study to explore two interrelated research questions – how exceptions are produced and reversed through the mechanisms of sovereignty and governmentality projected onto geo- and biopolitical domains, and how the new practices of exceptionalization and de-exceptionalization contribute to the emergence of a new spatial order at Europe's eastern margins? Three types of policies unfolded in Estonia as reactions to the Russian war against Ukraine are identified. First, the Estonian government introduced extraordinary measures based on the logic of national interests, which left much space for discretionary power to define risks, threats, and dangers. Secondly, some policy domains were intentionally de-exceptionalized for the sake of their better integration into Estonian normative space and as a reaction to the effects of the war. Third, in some cases there were exceptions from exceptions, which meant certain steps back toward normalization of the previously taken exceptional measures. The theoretical frame of the article consists of two nodal concepts – sovereignty and governmentality to be projected onto geo- and biopolitics treated as spheres in which sovereign and governmental powers operate and expose their political qualities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fundamental fertility changes in developed countries and persistently low fertility rates are increasingly being interpreted using concepts of gender equality, gender equity, and gender revolution. This article analyzes links between gender role attitudes and fertility in Lithuania between 1990–2017 from a comparative perspective. Lithuania is compared to Sweden and Estonia, as well as Austria, France, and Italy. Based on seven data sets, the analysis is done using cluster analysis and binary logistic regression approaches. The findings reveal country-specific differences and similarities. First, in most countries, those who support the most traditional attitudes toward gender roles are the likeliest to have children. Second, Lithuania is the most traditional society; it is the slowest of the countries analyzed to transition to egalitarianism, and its gender role attitudes that significantly affect fertility are changing. Finally, in some cases, in the most traditional society, Lithuania, and the most egalitarian, Sweden, a new trend is emerging, whereby those who have supported non-traditional attitudes toward gender roles are more likely to have children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we examine for the first time a set of securities traded in the Baltic stock exchanges for indication of price clustering. This study adds to the literature about the efficiency of the Baltic stock markets, as well as to knowledge about the clustering of financial prices. Our main conclusion is that clustering is pervasive at the firm level, with traders having a striking preference for closing prices ending in zero. Price clustering tends to increase with price level, turnover, and relative spread and to decrease with tick size. Overall, our results are consistent with the idea that the lower the cost of rounding prices and the greater the uncertainty about the proper value of the securities, the higher the propensity of prices to cluster at round numbers. Therefore, the evidence provides some support for the negotiation/resolution hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article argues that in 1919 several US Peace Delegation members in Paris acted in accordance with the ideology of Wilsonian self-determination. However, US policy toward Estonia and the other Baltic states wavered between regarding them as part of eastern Europe to which national self-determination could be applied or, contrary to that, as part of a unified non-Bolshevik Russia. US economic policy and, in particular, its relief activity supported the striving for independence of the Baltic states. Wilson came to support the 'Russia option' for the Baltic countries in the summer of 1919. The successor Harding administration opted for the alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article approaches the history of Baltic-US relations from the point of view of International Relations scholarship and, more specifically, from the vantage point of the concept of international society. It provides an account of the process of Estonia's entry into international society with a particular focus on the role that the United States, as one of the great powers of the twentieth century, played in this process. Against this background, this article concludes that as a feature of the Baltic states' memories of entry, the history of Baltic-US relations remains vital to understanding their contemporary foreign policy outlook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines successful and intensive free-trade policies in Estonia and Latvia, which exist despite the low-levels of domestic welfare in these countries. In contrast to the conventional elite-centric approach, this study uses a survey experiment to explore rationales for positive public opinion toward free trade policy. The results reveal that an individual exposed to the stimulus of a strategic security issue or consumer consideration tends to support free trade. These effects are evident among Latvians and highly-educated Estonians. Furthermore, the favorable international environment enhances the positive public opinion of free trade in Estonia and Latvia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Logistics is presently undergoing a transformative phase driven by rapid digitalization. This trend has spurred an in-depth exploration of the industry's theoretical potential and practical challenges. This comprehensive review focuses on practical applications, delving deeply into the increasing interest in digital technologies within logistics. The primary objective of this study is to conduct a bibliometric analysis to unravel the growth and academic development of the concept of logistic digitalization. The investigation examines academic literature from the Web of Science database spanning 2020-2024. Using VOS Viewer, an intellectual structure and bibliographic analysis are performed on selected articles. The cluster that concentrates on articles about the Internet of Things (IoT) technology and its impact on the logistics economy (the fourth cluster) is most closely related to the digital theme. The study combines theoretical framework, including Michael Porter's and the Resource-Based View, to illustrate the connections that improve business competitiveness. The examination of investments in digital technology sheds light on the logistics sector's experiences during the years when these investments impact labor productivity. Descriptive analysis results suggest that companies implementing technology can achieve a workforce productivity increase of up to 20%, underscoring the significance of technology investments for enhancing business competitiveness. These findings shed light on how various logistics sub-sectors respond to investments in software and computers and the rate at which these technologies influence labor productivity metrics. These empirical findings substantially reinforce the theoretical framework, providing practical implications and emphasizing the critical necessity for logistics firms to integrate digital technologies into their operational frameworks seamlessly. In conclusion, as the logistics landscape hovers on the brink of a digital revolution, businesses must adeptly navigate and wholeheartedly embrace digital solutions to ensure competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the extent to which zero-carbon energy transitions are a securitized phenomenon in selected countries and what that means for sustainability transitions more broadly. Without taking a normative stance on securitization, we focus on the ways in which security is constructed through in-depth interviews with experts in the energy, security, and defense sectors in Estonia, Finland, and Norway. We use a securitization framework to study how securitization as a process is discussed by identifying "securitization moves." The analysis is also connected to the literature on sustainability transitions: the zero-carbon energy transition can be depicted as a large-scale socio-technical transition related to environmental sustainability. Our findings suggest that energy transitions are securitized to an extent because we were able to detect all "securitization moves" in the interview data. The interviews showed different ways in which security is interpreted and what is achieved by its construction in specific contexts. For example, the identified threats were connected to preserving sovereignty in Estonia, the inability to openly discuss threats related to energy transitions created new concerns in Finland, and the connections between the two sectors were urgently and inescapably addressed in Norway only after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Cervical cancer remains a significant public health concern in Europe. Effective introduction and scaling up of human papillomavirus (HPV) detection-based cervical cancer screening (CCS) requires a systematic assessment of health systems capacity. However, there is no validated capacity assessment methodology for CCS programmes, especially in European contexts. Addressing this gap, our study introduces an innovative and adaptable protocol for evaluating the capacity of CCS programmes across varying European health system settings. Methods: Our research team developed a three-step capacity assessment framework, incorporating a health policy review checklist, a facility visit survey, and key informants' interview guide followed by a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis. Piloting this comprehensive approach, we explored the CCS capacity in three countries: Estonia, Portugal and Romania. These countries were selected due to their contrasting healthcare structures and resources, providing a diverse overview of the European context. Results: Conducted over a period of 9 months, the capacity assessment covered multiple resources, 27 screening centres, 16 colposcopy and treatment centres and 15 key informant interviews. Our analysis highlighted both shared and country-specific challenges. A key common issue was ensuring high compliance to follow-up and management of screen-positive women. We identified considerable heterogeneity in resources and organization across the three countries, underscoring the need for tailored, rather than one-size-fits-all, solutions. Conclusions: Our study's novelty lies in the successful development of this capacity assessment methodology implementable within a relatively short time frame, proving its feasibility for use in various contexts and countries. The resulting set of materials, adaptable to different cancer types, is a ready-to-use toolkit to improve cancer screening processes and outcomes. This research marks a significant stride towards comprehensive capacity assessment for CCS programmes in Europe. Future directions include deploying these tools in other countries and cancer types, thereby contributing to the global fight against cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies have shown that the rapid transition to emergency remote teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging for healthcare teachers in many ways. This sudden change made them face ethical dilemmas that challenged their values and ethical competence. Research aim: This study aimed to explore and gain a deeper understanding of the ethical dilemmas healthcare teachers faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research design: This was an inductive qualitative study using a hermeneutic approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed thematically. Participants and research context: Healthcare teachers (n = 20) from eight universities and universities of applied sciences in the Nordic and Baltic countries participated. Ethical considerations: This study was based on the research ethics of the Norwegian National Research Ethics Committee for Medicine and Health Sciences and approved by the Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research. Findings: Healthcare teachers faced several ethical dilemmas due to restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis revealed three main themes: How should I deal with students' ill-being, and what can I as a teacher do?; What can I demand from myself and my students, what is good teaching?; How do I manage the heavy workload and everyone's needs, and who gets my time? Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of healthcare teachers' continuous need for pedagogic and didactic education, especially considering new technology and ethical issues. During the pandemic, the ethical consequences of remote teaching became evident. Ethical values and ethical dilemmas should be addressed in healthcare education programmes at different levels, especially in teacher education programmes. In the coming years, remote teaching will grow. Therefore, we need more research on this issue from an ethical perspective on its possible consequences for students and healthcare teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]