Of the teachers who leave the profession, about half of them are dissatisfied with the school they work at. Teachers' school environment can have both supportive and adverse effects on their satisfaction with school and teaching in general. Yet this relationship might be different for the Nordic countries than for other European countries as the…

Adult's self-direction and self-directed learning (SDL) have become topics in the discussion of work-related adult learning and an autonomous approach, emphasizing responsibility and independence, has received increasing attention in studies of learning. In the context of SDL, in contrast, the importance of the learning environment and community…

This article focuses on teacher identity. Based on two small stories told in a peer group by a beginning teacher, we ask: How does a beginning teacher tell about her identity as part of the micropolitical context of school? Theoretically and methodologically, the research is committed to a narrative approach in understanding teacher identity. The…

In this article we review legislation and bylaws that relate to school bullying. This review focuses on the differences in how bullying is defined by researchers and legislators. It further examines how some laws identify bullying specifically, whereas others address more general acts of aggression. Some laws pertain to the school environment,…

Interviews in two technology-intensive Finnish companies (banking and engineering) found that workplace learning was continuous and active. Learning stimuli and competence development differed in two settings. A more systematic, long-term approach to learning and acknowledgment of collective competence could improve the work environment as a…

Applies research on the adult work environment to schoolchildren's daily lives, using health survey data from 11-, 13-, and 15-year-old students in Finland, Latvia, Norway, and Slovakia. The most important school-setting predictor of students' perception of their academic achievement is satisfaction with school, teachers, and classmates. (59…

The "folkehojskoler," innovative Scandinavian secondary schools based on radical humanistic ideas, are examined from both empirical and philosophical perspectives, focusing on three elements: ideology; the student experience; and the teaching culture. Implications for goals, objectives, assumptions, forms, and practices in American…