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Transparency and trustworthiness are among the key requirements for the ethical use of learning analytics (LA) and artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of social inclusion and equity. However, research on these issues pertaining to users is lacking, leaving it unclear as to how transparent and trustworthy current LA tools are for their users and how perceptions of these variables relate to user behaviour. In this study, we investigate user experiences of an LA tool in the context of career guidance, which plays a crucial role in supporting nonlinear career pathways for individuals. We review the ethical challenges of big data, AI, and LA in connection to career guidance and analyze the user experiences (N = 106) of the LA career guidance tool, which recommends study programs and institutions to users. Results indicate that the LA career guidance tool was evaluated as trustworthy but not transparent. Accuracy was found to be a stronger predictor for the intention to follow on the recommendations of the LA guidance tool than was understanding the origins of the recommendation. The user's age emerged as an important factor in their assessment of transparency. We discuss the implications of these findings and suggest emphasizing accuracy in the development of LA tools for career guidance.

The aim of this Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) study was to examine instructional methods that promote students' generic workplace-relevant competence in university education. We investigated courses that differed from each other in their ways to engage students in practicing collaborative knowledge work and career skills. Students from three agricultural sciences courses answered a questionnaire to self-assess their learning of collaborative knowledge-work practices and studying in the courses. The students assessed that the course based on real project work supported the learning of collaborative knowledge practices better than the courses that did so through simulated practices or group work for content learning. Students appreciated tasks where they did something for further use, like producing a CV or solutions for a customer. The results indicate that authenticity of course activities and outputs are important characteristics of assignments aiming at enhancing workplace-relevant competencies and learning of knowledge-work practices.

Learning analytics dashboard (LAD) development has been criticized for being too data-driven and for developers lacking an understanding of the nontechnical aspects of learning analytics (LA). The ability of developers to address their understanding of learners as well as systematic efforts to involve students in the development process are central to creating pedagogically grounded student-facing dashboards. However, limited research is available about developer perceptions on supporting students with LA. We examined an interdisciplinary LA development team's (IDT) perceptions of and intentions to support student agency, and the student-facing LAD development process. Qualitative content analysis supported by a social cognitive theory framework was conducted on interviews (N = 12) to analyze the IDT's perceptions of student agency. IDT members had differing conceptions of student agency but agreed that it manifests in strategic study progression and planning, as well as in active interpretation and use of LA-based feedback. IDT members had differing views on student involvement in the LAD development process. Communication challenges within an IDT and limited resources were mentioned, impeding development work. The results of this study highlight the importance of fostering communication among IDT members about guiding pedagogical design principles and the systematic use of educational concepts in LA development processes.

An in-depth understanding of student experiences and evaluations of learning analytics dashboards (LADs) is needed to develop supportive learning analytics tools. This study investigates how students (N = 140) evaluated two student-facing LADs as a support for academic path-level self-regulated learning (SRL) through the concrete processes of planning and monitoring studies. Aim of the study was to gain new understanding about student perspectives for LAD use on academic path-level context. The study specifically focused on the student evaluations of the dashboard support and challenges, and the differences of student evaluations based on their self-efficacy beliefs and resource management strategies. The findings revealed that students evaluated dashboard use helpful for their study planning and monitoring, while the challenge aspects mostly included further information needs and development ideas. Students with higher self-efficacy evaluated the dashboards as more helpful for study planning than those with lower self-efficacy, and students with lower help-seeking skills evaluated the dashboards as more helpful for study monitoring than those with higher help-seeking skills. The results indicate that the design of LAD can help students to focus on different aspects of study planning and monitoring and that students with different beliefs and capabilities might benefit from different LAD designs and use practices. The study provides theory-informed approach for investigating LAD use in academic path-level context and extends current understanding of students as users of LADs.

Twenty-first-century skills should be integrated into higher education to prepare students for complex working-life challenges. Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools have the potential to optimise skill development among higher education students. Therefore, it is important to conceptualise relevant affordances of AI systems for 21st-century skills development in higher education. This study aimed to present an overview of journal articles published in the Web of Science database that specifically addressed the affordances of AI-based tools for 21st-century skills development. Four distinct categories of AI-based tools (intelligent tutoring systems, chatbots, AI-powered dashboards and automated grading systems) were identified as capable of promoting six main 21st-century skills (collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, information and communication technology and problem-solving). The review revealed that the utilisation of AI-based tools might contribute to the simultaneous development of multiple 21stcentury skills (e.g., collaboration and critical thinking). The results showed that adaptive feedback from AI plays a significant role as a facilitator in the development of 21st-century skills. Furthermore, the utilisation of diverse functional AI affordances (e.g., prediction and profiling) might contribute to the development of various skills. AI-based technologies appeared to target the 21st-century skills of problem-solving and its subskills the most.

Background: Higher education is expected to prepare students with interdisciplinary learning (IDL), which is important for their educational and working life opportunities. The cocreation of knowledge in interdisciplinary teams offers multiple opportunities for the emergence of collective knowledge objects (KOs) and knowledge practices (KPs). Methods: During iterations of an organization simulation course, interdisciplinary student teams created an offer of human resource services for a client. To analyze the students' IDL (84 students in 12 teams), we conducted an interaction analysis, drawing on sociocultural and knowledge practice perspectives on technology-mediated learning. First, video-recordings of two teams' meetings were analyzed to trace the tensions, negotiations, and cocreation of KOs. Second, students' reflective diaries were analyzed to identify collective KPs. Findings: The negotiation and cocreation of KOs were mediated by multiple material resources and participants' disciplinary knowledge. In their diaries, students described the following collective KPs: 1) attending to interdisciplinary problems, 2) responsibility taking, 3) framing expertise and contribution, 4) crossing interdisciplinary boundaries, 5) exploring and concretizing new knowledge, and 6) reflecting and expanding upon practices and knowledge. Contributions: The study widens our understanding of the intertwined dynamics of KOs and KPs through which students collectively create and engage in interdisciplinary learning.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and learning analytics (LA) tools are increasingly implemented as decision support for learners and professionals. However, their affordances for guidance purposes have yet to be examined. In this paper, we investigated advantages and challenges of AI-enhanced LA tool for supporting career decisions from the user perspective. Participants (N = 106) interacted with the AI-enhanced LA tool and responded to open-ended questionnaire questions. Content analysis was utilized for the data analysis applying two distinct and robust frameworks: technology acceptance model (TAM) and career decision-making model (CDM) as well as looking into user needs. Results indicate that the AI-enhanced LA tool provided five main benefits to the users: provision of career information, research and analysis of the information, diversification of ideas on possible career paths, providing direction and decision support, and self-reflection. The participants perceived the AI-enhanced LA tool as a supportive asset to be used in transitional life situations characterized with uncertainty. Considerable use difficulties were reported as well as need for further diversification of ideas on possible career paths, need for personalization and self-reflection support, and need for further information. Results regarding perceived support for making career decisions showed that CDM elements were unequally supported by the AI-enhanced LA tool. Most support was focused to investigate smaller number of provided options and make decisions, while contextual information was lacking. Implications for career decision making are discussed.

The importance of engaging students with complex societal challenges has led to the adoption of various interdisciplinary teaching and learning practices in both K-12 and higher education. However, interdisciplinary learning is one of the most complex domains of contemporary educational practice, and, despite its significance, remains significantly undertheorized and under-researched. This Special Issue highlights empirical research efforts toward understanding interdisciplinary learning in its complexity. It simultaneously aims to (1) advance ecological perspectives that encompass concepts and methodologies for studying complex heterogeneous learning practices and (2) apply these perspectives to the research of interdisciplinary learning - of how people learn across and beyond disciplines. This introduction provides a historical context for interdisciplinary learning, introduces an ecological stance toward researching learning across and beyond disciplines, and reviews critical theoretical and methodological challenges within interdisciplinary learning, arguing that the field of the learning sciences is well-positioned to address these challenges. It discusses how the contributions presented in this special issue shed light on theoretical, methodological, empirical, and design aspects of interdisciplinary learning and offer a basis for further design work and research.

Emerging technological advancements can play an essential role in overcoming challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a promising educational technology field, Learning Analytics (LA) tools or systems can offer solutions to COVID-19 pandemic-related needs, obstacles, and expectations in higher education. In the current study, we systematically reviewed 20 papers to better understand the responses of LA tools to the online learning challenges that higher education students, instructors, and institutions faced during the pandemic. In addition, we attempted to provide key cases in which LA has been effectively deployed for various purposes during the pandemic in the higher education context. We found out several prominent challenges for stakeholders. Accordingly, learners needed of timely support and interaction, and experienced difficulty of time management. Instructors lacked pedagogical knowledge for online teaching. In particular, individual and collaborative assessment have been a challenge for them. Institutions have not been ready for a digital transformation and online teaching. In response to these challenges, LA tools have been deployed for the following opportunities: monitoring, planning online learning process, fostering learners' engagement and motivation, facilitating assessment process; increasing interaction, improving retention, being easy to use. Understanding these promises can also give insight into future higher education policies.

Fluent transitions to higher education are a common concern, especially in highly selective Finnish teacher education (TE). This study examined the fit between the matriculation examination (ME) results and the selection criteria applied in TE. We studied the accepted applicants in Finland in 2013-2015 (n = 5116), and both the accepted and rejected applicants at the University of Oulu in 2015 (n = 2170). Among the accepted applicants, the ME typically consisted of mother tongue, advanced syllabus English, basic syllabus mathematics, psychology, and health education. The various selection criteria did not directly differentiate the applicants with respect to the ME. The two strongest predictors in the ME for acceptance to TE were the choice of and performance in advanced syllabus mathematics and psychology. The results are discussed in light of selection criteria and TE.

Declining interests in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) related careers are concerning at a time when the society is becoming more reliant on complex technologies and science. Our study examined the predictors of students' STEM career interests within cohort data (N = 601) collected from Finnish general upper secondary schools. We created a SEM research model based on the Social Cognitive Career Theory, to explore how (1) Career outcome expectations, (2) Natural science subject interests, (3) Mathematics self-efficacy beliefs, (4) Receiving career information from various sources, (5) Support for mathematics studies related to (6) students' STEM career interests. A structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis showed receiving career information from various sources had a positive effect on STEM career interest. Likewise, mathematics self-efficacy beliefs positively related to natural science subject interest which, in turn, contributed to students' interest towards STEM careers.

A multitude of research shows that the secondary education (SE) outcomes relate with university academic achievement (AA). More research is needed on SE outcomes subject-specifically. We examined the relationship between the Finnish matriculation examination (ME) results and AA, study success (grades) and study progress (credits), of educational sciences students (N = 1,214) who were pursuing a three-year bachelor's degree in 2007-2017. The overall ME results explained 15% of the variance in study success and less than 1% in study progress. Success in mother tongue, mathematics, psychology and health education in the ME along with 1st- and 2nd-year study success related positively with higher study success throughout the three years. For the 3rd-year study progress, the results were more mixed, and progress in the 1st and 2nd year was statistically significant compared to the ME results. In conclusion, it is recommended to consider subject-specific ME outcomes regarding student admissions and curricula.

The current study is based on thematic analysis of 21,722 tweets posted under the #wedontwantdistanceeducation hashtag within a month after the start of online distance education in Turkish universities due to COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings have revealed that Turkish higher education students have faced multiple challenges in accessing and benefiting from online education due to the swift transformation from face-to-face to online format. These challenges included universities' poor technical infrastructure, pedagogical and assessment issues, digital inequality in accessing online education, and general negative attitude towards online education. Further, students have expressed issues about financial, health, and social consequences of online education during COVID-19 pandemic. With regards to such challenges and issues, higher education students have criticized government authorities for ignoring their views when making decisions about how online learning is organized during COVID-19 pandemic. Further, students have offered some alternative solutions (e.g. summer courses) to online education.

This study provides an overview of research on teachers' use of artificial intelligence (AI) applications and machine learning methods to analyze teachers' data. Our analysis showed that AI offers teachers several opportunities for improved planning (e.g., by defining students' needs and familiarizing teachers with such needs), implementation (e.g., through immediate feedback and teacher intervention), and assessment (e.g., through automated essay scoring) of their teaching. We also found that teachers have various roles in the development of AI technology. These roles include acting as models for training AI algorithms and participating in AI development by checking the accuracy of AI automated assessment systems. Our findings further underlined several challenges in AI implementation in teaching practice, which provide guidelines for developing the field.

Purpose: This study aims to explore Twitter posts of Turkish government agencies and the public under a specific hashtag, #NotHolidayButDistanceEducation, specifically related to online distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a thematic analysis on 22,547 original tweets posted by 6,970 users during the first month of online distance education in Turkish K-12 schools. Based on like and retweet counts, the study further explored the extent of stakeholders' engagement with the observed themes. Findings: The findings showed that government agencies and citizens used Twitter to provide technical and psychological support, appreciate and motivate stakeholders, demonstrate sample distance education activities, share information and offer suggestions about the ongoing online distance education. It was also observed that the hashtag has been used for expressing negative views about online distance education and for political purposes. A positive relationship was found between social media engagement and providing technical support or sharing information for online distance education. Practical implications: This study highlights the role of social media in providing practical and emotional support to education stakeholders in times of crisis. Thus, governments can use social media to provide evidence-based psychological and physical health support to their citizens during a pandemic. Social media can serve to improve education practices in schools through the interactions between the public and policymakers. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study can be considered unique because it demonstrates the civic use of social media for educational crisis management. This study highlights the influence of social media in educational policy and practice development in the contemporary era.

Teaching and learning in universities have shifted towards online education, and there is not enough scientific knowledge about suitable pedagogical design principles to guide the construction of hybrid learning spaces for today's university students. In this design-based research, we studied the benefits and challenges in reaching the expected learning outcomes of an e-course, "Collaboration and Professional Interaction Skills." The practical purpose was developing the pedagogical design of this e-course. The scientific objective was to build on the research about design principles that guide teachers in constructing e-courses, enabling in-depth learning in hybrid learning spaces. The pedagogical design was guided by six design principles. Empirical data (21 students' assignments and reflections, teacher's observations, data from the digital learning management system) were collected in two research cycles. Students were from different degree programmes of educational sciences. Thematic analysis of students' individually and collaboratively authored assignments was carried out in both research cycles. The most emphasised benefits and challenges concerned the combination of working and creating knowledge together, virtually, in a multidisciplinary group. Based on the results, practical recommendations were made for university-level pedagogical designs that facilitate effective and active collaboration and interaction, and learning of such competence.

Technological and social developments during the past years emphasise the importance of knowledge work competence. Additionally, funding of universities in Finland was changed to be based largely on yearly accumulated credits, therefore, improving retention is of critical importance for the institution. In order to improve first-year retention (measured by credit accumulation) and learning of knowledge work practices, Metropolia UAS changed the information technology curriculum by integrating single topic 3-5 credit courses into multidisciplinary 15 credit courses that included substantially more project work where students solve open-ended problems. This study focuses on investigating how the new curriculum influenced first-year retention, students' study experiences and self-evaluated development of knowledge work competence. Research data included study register data on course completion and student feedback collected through online questionnaires after each course. Retention rate was substantially improved compared to previous years. Furthermore, student collaboration and independence were found to increase overall satisfaction and to boost learning in project teams.

The "Collaborative Knowledge Practices Questionnaire" (CKP) is an instrument designed to measure the learning of knowledge-work competence in education. The focus is on qualities of knowledge work which can be learned and taught in multiple educational settings and which may be especially important for courses with collaborative assignments. The original instrument was theoretically based on the knowledge-creation metaphor of learning. The instrument has been validated in Finnish based on student responses from a large number of higher education courses. The validation of the instrument resulted in seven scales relating to different aspects of interdisciplinary, collaborative development of knowledge-objects using digital technology. This study aimed to cross-culturally translate and adapt the original instrument into English and perform an exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) analysis in order to investigate whether the same factorial solution of the instrument also works in English in higher education courses in international settings. The original instrument was translated according to established guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. The translated version has been tested in courses in medical education, online teaching and problem solving. The results provided evidence that the latent factor model found in the original instrument provided a good fit also for the adapted questionnaire.

This paper elaborates on the notion of object-oriented collaborative learning by building on empirical material from two case studies in higher education. Prior empirical findings show how knowledge objects are evolving entities, shaped by the interactions between participants, and how students learn from engaging in knowledge practice that involves different activities with knowledge objects. However, the pedagogy of teaching and learning with objects needs to be further explored and grounded in empirical data. Using two case studies, we examine how learning designs in higher education courses support students' learning through work on shared knowledge objects, as well as how students experience these designs and the learning process. By means of complementary datasets, the learning design, enacted teaching practices, collaboration processes, experiences, and competence learned are mapped and analysed. The findings are helpful in elucidating the learning taking place through interaction and practices mediated by shared knowledge objects, as well as informing the development of principles of a pedagogy of object-oriented collaborative learning, which provide practical recommendations and invite further research endeavours.

Vocational education and training (VET) remain overlooked in learning analytics (LA) research. This systematic literature review, using four databases and other sources, was carried out by analyzing selected 60 articles (2012-2017) to study the levels and stages of education that the reviewed LA literature examined. The review indicated that most of the analyzed papers focused on the course level, followed by student and institution levels in higher education. Few empirical studies have addressed LA use during the VET stage, particularly at the governmental level. We also considered ethical concerns and recommendations for further LA development in VET. It is suggested to use LA in knowledge transfer and integration between the classroom and workplace.

The necessity to learn competence for collaborative knowledge work during higher education (HE) is accepted widely, but continued work is required to explicate how to define and assess such competence. In this article, the development and validation of a questionnaire for assessing the development of collaborative knowledge work competence is based on object-bound collaborative knowledge creation practices. In total, 546 students responded to a questionnaire on Collaborative Knowledge Practices (CKP). The data were analysed for measurement invariance for two groups of HE students in media engineering and life sciences. Seven scales of the CKP were found to measure course-related learning of collaboration, integration of personal and collective efforts, development through feedback, persistent development of knowledge objects, understanding of different disciplines and related expertise, interdisciplinary collaboration, and using digital technology. The CKP questionnaire scales can be used as a generic self-evaluation tool for students on course-based learning outcomes.

Trialogical learning, a collaborative and iterative knowledge creation process using real-life artefacts or problems, familiarizes students with working life environments and aims to teach skills required in the professional world. We target one of the major limitation factors for optimal trialogical learning in university settings, inefficient group work. We propose a course design combining effective group working practices with trialogical learning principles in life sciences. We assess the usability of our design in (a) a case study on crop science education and (b) a questionnaire for university teachers in life science fields. Our approach was considered useful and supportive of the learning process by all the participants in the case study: the students, the stakeholders and the facilitator. Correspondingly, a group of university teachers expressed that the trialogical approach and the involvement of stakeholders could promote efficient learning. In our case in life sciences, we identified the key issues in facilitating effective group work to be the design of meaningful tasks and the allowance of sufficient time to take action based on formative feedback. Even though trialogical courses can be time consuming, the experience of applying knowledge in real-life cases justifies using the approach, particularly for students just about to enter their professional careers.

Concerns have been expressed that the engagement shown by committed individuals is not fully utilized by their organizations while there is insufficient knowledge of which conditions facilitate teaching collaboration and lead to improvements in university education. Portfolios of 43 life science academics applying to enter to the University of Helsinki Teachers' Academy were analyzed through content analysis. Five categories of interactive or collaborative practices emerged from the data: (1) Interacting with peers for personal development, (2) Sharing good teaching practices, (3) Teaching together, (4) Producing educational artefacts, (5) Developing education systematically. The practices occurred in both formal and informal settings, and both settings were present in all categories. In contrast with the formal practices, the informal practices were described in an enthusiastic way. The engagement shown by the scholarly teachers was mostly realized in informal settings. There is probably unrealized potential in the scholarly teachers' teaching-related practices through which they could contribute to the development of teaching in academia. Formal communities related to teaching should be developed to promote deeper collaboration and to foster the participants' feeling of personal commitment and ownership.

Collaborative learning has been used in anatomy courses to support students' learning of challenging topics but the success of group work depends significantly on the students' ability to communicate in a professional manner. Veterinary students' experiences with tasks related to collaborative learning and professional conduct were studied by comparing learning collaborative competences and pedagogy, as well as perceived positive and challenging aspects, in two gross anatomy courses. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from students' experiences of course assignments and collaboration, as well as from self-evaluated collaboration competence development. Trying things out oneself, practical application and professional conduct were positively highlighted particularly in the first-year course (myology and arthrology) group work and learning from others more in the second year (topographical anatomy). Various group work challenges, often relating to practical matters or communication, were the key concerns for students. The main difference between the two courses in learning of collaborative knowledge work competencies appeared to relate to the nature of the group work assignment. The topography course included the element of collaboration in preparing a presentation and teaching session for the rest of the class. Interestingly, students on the myology and arthrology course gave more positive comments on professional conduct than the students on the topography course despite the fact that the latter course included more practical elements relating to their future profession.

Background: Despite the increasing need for STEM skills, to date, the connection between STEM subject choices and their impact on students' educational pathways has not been widely studied. Focusing on the mathematics choice (basic/advanced/no mathematics), a large register dataset that covered students admitted to Finnish universities during 2013-2015 (N = 46,281) was combined with upper-secondary school matriculation examination data (N = 93,955) to find out how this choice influenced the students' university admissions. This large dataset was also examined to establish the current gender distributions in different university degree programs from the perspective of mathematics choices. Further, to find out the students' reasons behind their mathematics choices, a cohort sample of 802 student responses was collected from upper-secondary schools. We also investigated the students' interests in different fields of study to establish any gender differences in them. Results: The register data analysis suggested that in Finland, students' mathematics choices had a strong influence on the university admission outcomes. For instance, only 33% of the upper-secondary school graduates took the advanced mathematics ME test in 2013-2015, yet the number of those admitted to universities who had taken the advanced mathematics ME test was 55%. Most of the university degree programs were female dominated, yet the university students with advanced mathematics were mostly male, and especially the STEM fields in the Finnish universities were male dominated. As for the reasons behind the mathematics choices, students who chose advanced mathematics believed in its usefulness for their future studies and careers. We also found significant gender-based educational differences regarding all the study fields, with STEM careers attracting more males than females. Conclusion: Advanced mathematics was highly valued in Finnish universities, and many students chose advanced mathematics believing in its usefulness for their future studies or careers. Yet, their further study interests and career plans were segregated by gender. As there is a rising need for STEM skills, we must seek effective ways to deliver the evolving possibilities of STEM fields to students, especially girls, during the earlier years of their educations.

In 2014, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences implemented a fundamental change in its curriculum from small single topic 3-5 credits courses into 15 credits multidisciplinary courses implemented by teacher teams. This paper focuses on how teachers of Information Technology programs experienced the reform. Research data include teacher feedback and opinions that were collected during training sessions and interviews. Team teaching is a substantial change for teachers that raises concerns about time management, getting enough compensation for the work and possible loss of teacher autonomy. However, teacher teams that managed to overcome these challenges saw a variety of benefits in the new approach. Not only was team teaching seen as a means for providing students with the skills they need, but it also was discovered as a way to enhance the teacher's own professional development.

Twenty-first-century skills should be integrated into higher education to prepare students for complex working-life challenges. Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools have the potential to optimise skill development among higher education students. Therefore, it is important to conceptualise relevant affordances of AI systems for 21st-century skills development in higher education. This study aimed to present an overview of journal articles published in the Web of Science database that specifically addressed the affordances of AI-based tools for 21st-century skills development. Four distinct categories of AI-based tools (intelligent tutoring systems, chatbots, AI-powered dashboards and automated grading systems) were identified as capable of promoting six main 21st-century skills (collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, information and communication technology and problem-solving). The review revealed that the utilisation of AI-based tools might contribute to the simultaneous development of multiple 21st-century skills (e.g., collaboration and critical thinking). The results showed that adaptive feedback from AI plays a significant role as a facilitator in the development of 21st-century skills. Furthermore, the utilisation of diverse functional AI affordances (e.g., prediction and profiling) might contribute to the development of various skills. AI-based technologies appeared to target the 21st-century skills of problem-solving and its subskills the most. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to understand intervening in early school leaving-related problems at general upper secondary schools in a large Finnish municipality. Sometimes intervening causes a paradoxical situation because professionals follow legislation by providing guidance and support to promote students' progress in their studies but, at the same time, try to strengthen students' wellbeing, which may not always mean continuing their studies in upper secondary school. We focus on professionals' action and experience which are studied utilising concepts and methodological principles of subject-scientific psychology. The main material of the study consists of recorded and transcribed group discussions with 32 professionals who encounter the phenomenon of early school leaving in their everyday work. The material is analysed qualitatively 1) to identify how professionals perceive the phenomenon as a reason for intervening, and 2) to identify common contradictions they encounter in their everyday work related to early school leaving. The results suggest that professionals understood students' rocky conduct of everyday school life as consisting of 1) choosing the school without thorough consideration, 2) a mismatch of expectations and reality, 3) learning difficulties, 4) problems in social relationships, and 5) difficulties in other life scenes. Further, we identified six common contradictions which related to 1) students' conduct of everyday life, 2) students' broader life trajectories, and 3) professionals' conduct of their professional everyday lives. We argue that it is essential to consider early school leaving situationally, from the standpoint of the subject, instead of specifying risks or statistical probabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, the development and use of a specific set of pedagogical design principles in a large research and development project are analysed. The project (the Knowledge Practices Laboratory) developed technology and a pedagogical approach to support certain kinds of collaborative knowledge creation practices related to the "trialogical" approach on learning. The design principles for trialogical learning are examined from three main developmental perspectives that were emphasised in the project: theory, pedagogy, and technology. As expected, the design principles had many different roles but not as straightforward or overarching as was planned. In their outer form they were more resistant to big changes than was expected but they were elaborated and specified during the process. How theories change in design-based research is discussed on the basis of the analysis. Design principles are usually seen as providing a bridge between theory and practice, but the present case showed that also complementary, more concrete frameworks are needed for bridging theory to practical pedagogical or technical design solutions. (Contains 2 figures and 1 note.)

The skills of knowledge-creating inquiry are explored as a challenge for higher education. The knowledge-creation approach to learning provides a theoretical tool for addressing them: In addition to the individual and social aspects in regulation of inquiry, the knowledge-creation approach focuses on aspects related to advancing shared objects of inquiry. The development of corresponding metaskills is suggested as an important long-term goal for higher education; these pertain, simultaneously to the individual, collective, and object-oriented aspects of monitoring inquiry. Taking part in collaborative inquiry toward advancing a shared knowledge object is foreseen as a means to facilitate the development of metaskills; the present study examines one undergraduate university course in psychology with that aim. The data consisted of a database discourse and students' self-reflections after the course, examined by qualitative content analysis. Three analyses investigated discourse evolution, knowledge advancement, and the challenge of the inquiry practices. The student-groups differed markedly in their engagement in the inquiry efforts. The study gave insights concerning novel challenges evoked by knowledge-creating inquiry, relating in particular to commitment, epistemic involvement, dealing with confusion, and the iterative nature of knowledge advancement. We propose the following implication for educational practices: Although dealing with uncertainty and areas beyond one's expertise, as well as engaging in self-directed collaborative inquiry, may seem overly demanding for students, such experiences are decisive for developing one's skills in dealing with open-ended knowledge objects in a longer time frame.

There is wide agreement on the importance of scaffolding for student learning. Yet, models of individual and face-to-face scaffolding are not necessarily applicable to educational settings in which a group of learners is pursuing a process of inquiry mediated by technology. The scaffolding needed for such a process may be examined from three perspectives: the organization of activities, the affordances of tools, and process-level guidance. The purpose of the present study was to assess three tutors' contributions to university students' computer-mediated discourse organized as a question-driven inquiry process. In all, 17 students participated in the discourse as part of their studies in a cognitive psychology course. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted to investigate critical patterns and possible effects of the tutors' process-level scaffolding. During the process, the more experienced tutors acted as meta-level commentators, whereas the less experienced tutor participated in the inquiry as a co-inquirer who also produced inquiry questions. More elaborate scaffolding to foster students' metacognitive awareness of the inquiry strategies was generally lacking in all three tutors' data. Implications for pedagogical improvement in collaborative, computer-supported educational settings are discussed. (Contains 4 tables.)

The aim of this Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) study was to examine instructional methods that promote students' generic workplace-relevant competence in university education. We investigated courses that differed from each other in their ways to engage students in practicing collaborative knowledge work and career skills. Students from three agricultural sciences courses answered a questionnaire to self-assess their learning of collaborative knowledge-work practices and studying in the courses. The students assessed that the course based on real project work supported the learning of collaborative knowledge practices better than the courses that did so through simulated practices or group work for content learning. Students appreciated tasks where they did something for further use, like producing a CV or solutions for a customer. The results indicate that authenticity of course activities and outputs are important characteristics of assignments aiming at enhancing workplace-relevant competencies and learning of knowledge-work practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes a study of Finnish elementary and secondary school teachers that analyzed relations between teachers' skills in using the new information and communication technology (ICT), their pedagogical thinking, and their self-reported practices. Topics include technical ICT skills; access to computers; information technology use; and age and gender differences. (Author/LRW)

The photosynthesis of ground vegetation is dependent on species composition and environmental factors that are extremely diverse during forest succession. However, present in situ measurements over the gross primary production (GPP) of ground vegetation are unable to cover this variability. The primary objective of the present study was to estimate the GPP of ground vegetation in five differently aged Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forests in southern Finland during the growing season of 2006 by using temperature, soil moisture, photosynthetically active radiation, and biomass of the ground vegetation to run a known process-based model. The GPP of ground vegetation was ~350 g*[m.sub.-2] at the 6- and 12-year-old sites and 168, 146, and 41 g x [m.sub.-2] thereafter at the 20-, 45-, and 120-year-old sites, respectively. The values decreased with stand age, because as the stand ages, light availability decreases, the dominant species below the canopy show lower rates of photosynthesis than species in open areas, and the biomass of the ground vegetation decreases. Grasses and herbs took up nearly half of the value at the youngest site but their role decreased thereafter, whereas low shrubs were responsible for most of the GPP of ground vegetation below closed canopies. La photosynthese de la vegetation au sol depend de la composition en especes et de facteurs environnementaux qui varient beaucoup tout au long de la succession forestiere. Cependant, les mesures in situ actuelles de la production photosynthetique (PPB) de la vegetation au sol sont incapables de couvrir cette variabilite. Le principal objectif de cette etude consistait a estimer la PPB de la vegetation au sol dans cinq for x ts de pin sylvestre (Pinus sylvestris L.) d'age different dans le sud de la Finlande durant la saison de croissance de 2006 en utilisant la temperature, l'humidite du sol, le rayonnement photosynthetiquement utilisable et la biomasse de la vegetation au sol pour alimenter un modele base sur les processus. La PPB de la vegetation au sol atteignait environ 350 g x [m.sub.-2] dans les stations agees de six et 12 ans et, par la suite, 168, 146 et 41 g x [m.sub.-2] respectivement dans les stations agees de 20, 45 et 120 ans. La valeur diminue avec l'age du peuplement parce qu'a mesure que le peuplement vieillit, la disponibilite de la lumiere diminue, les especes dominantes sous le couvert ont un taux de photosynthese plus faible que les especes dans un espace ouvert et la biomasse de la vegetation au sol diminue. Les graminees et les herbacees etaient responsables de la moitie de la valeur dans la station la plus jeune mais leur role diminuait par la suite alors que de petits arbustes assumaient presque toute la PPB de la vegetation au sol sous un couvert ferme. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction The capacity of forests to bind atmospheric carbon dioxide ([CO.sub.2]) has been widely studied, but still the quantitative estimate of gross primary production (GPP) has been a challenge in [...]