The Finnish education system, including national curriculum development and teacher education, is strongly research-based. All national education authorities have close institutional ties to research organisations. High-quality register data adds to effective use of evidence-base. Teacher education is organized at research universities, and teachers themselves are required to have a Master’s degree. This adds further to fast application of academic research into practice and into the interaction with students.
Read more on the current research and development ecosystem:
- EDUCA Flagship, led by the University of Jyväskylä, aims at identifying research-based solutions for issues in education and creating a novel research ecosystem.
- Presentation: School University Partnership – strengthening access to good education equally to all children. (PDF)
- Research collaboration between City of Turku and Turku Research Institute for Learning Analytics. (PDF)
Some research of the benefits of child-centered education for motivation, literacy, and numeracy:
- Eija Pakarinen, Kyoko Imai-Matsumura, Akie Yada, Takumi Yada, Anne Leppänen & Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen (2024) Child-Centered and Teacher-Directed Practices in Two Different Countries: A Descriptive Case Study in Finnish and Japanese Grade 1 Classrooms (PDF)
- Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen, Noona Kiuru, Eija Pakarinen, Jaana Viljaranta, Anna-Maija Poikkeus, Helena Rasku-Puttonen, Martti Siekkinen, Jari-Erik Nurmi (2012) The role of teaching practices in the development of children’s interest in reading and mathematics in kindergarten (PDF)
- Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen, Noona Kiuru, Eija Pakarinen, Anna-Maija Poikkeus, Helena Rasku-Puttonen, Martti Siekkinen, Jari-Erik Nurmi (2016) Child-centered versus teacher-directed teaching practices: Associations with the development of academic skills in the first grade at school (PDF)
