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The aim of this study is to examine Finnish students' school engagement profiles in the light of the data collected in the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) in 2003. Even though Finnish students' cognitive achievement has proved excellent in various international assessments, their school engagement has not been flattering. The article first defines the concept of school engagement and discusses some previous findings on students' attitudes and socio-emotional disposition towards school life. Next, on the basis of students' responses to the PISA 2003 survey questionnaire, students are grouped and the groups profiled by cluster analysis into six distinct clusters in terms of peer acceptance, student-teacher relations and perceptions of the value of school and education for the future. This is followed by a description of the cluster profiles and their examination in relation to students' gender and socio-economic background as well as to their performance in mathematics, reading and science and then in relation to their self-beliefs and educational aspirations. The results indicate that when examining school engagement, average values for the whole age group are not sufficient to describe the spectrum of young people's school satisfaction and social relations. Instead, in Finnish schools there are distinct student groups with different engagement profiles, which are associated with both the cognitive and affective learning. In conclusion, some suggestions are made for further interventions as concerns the different student clusters. (Contains 10 figures.)

In the global context, the basic education systems in both Canada and Finland have provided the majority of their students with a solid foundation for further studies, working life and active citizenship, as evidenced by student performance in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment). However, in both the 2000 and 2003 assessments, Finland outperformed Canada in all subject areas: in reading, mathematical and scientific literacies, as well as in problem solving. This article explores some perspectives and highlights possible reasons for the high performance of Finnish students in PISA, drawing some parallels to the Canadian results. There is, of course, no one single factor behind the high literacy achievement of Finnish students. Rather, the good performance is related to a whole network of interrelated factors, some measured in PISA, some not. This network consists not only of education system or pedagogical factors and the learning strategies and environments provided by schools and homes, but also of students' own interest and engagement in literacy activities and the values, aims and expectations of their families. (Contains 8 endnotes and 2 figures.)

Finnish students' multiliteracy profiles are examined from the perspectives of both traditional printed reading and Internet activities in the light of the data collected as a national option integrated into the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2000 study. After reciting some previous findings on reader profiles as revealed by the initial international analyses of PISA data, the perspective is widened to encompass multiliteracy, which is defined according to the sociocultural view. Based on responses to a survey questionnaire, students were grouped by cluster analysis into six distinct clusters according to the frequency with which they read diverse printed materials and were involved in various Internet activities. The multiliteracy profiles are described, first from the perspective of literacy activities and further examined in relation to students' gender, reading literacy performance, socio-economic background as well as access to books and computers. Finally, some pedagogical suggestions are made with a view to different groups of student readers.

The initial results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) indicated that Finnish and Swedish students are among the best readers in all OECD countries. However, the literacy performance of 7% of Finnish and 12% of Swedish students remains at a level which is not sufficient for further studies or active citizenship. This article reports a further comparative study which explores, compares and contrasts, by means of two-level logistic regression models, students' personal, socio-economic and cultural factors and their effects on low as opposed to average reading literacy achievement in Finland and Sweden. The results indicate that the risk of being a low achiever is strongly determined by gender and by several sociocultural factors as well as by students' personal characteristics, attitudes and activities both at and outside school. The constructed model was relatively similar and predicted with approximately equal degrees of probability membership in the risk group in both countries. This lays a solid foundation for joint pedagogic developmental efforts.

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international study coordinated by governments of participating countries, through the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In 2000, a total of 265,000 students from 32 countries took part in PISA. The main aim of PISA is to assess how well 15-year-old students are prepared to meet the challenges of today's and tomorrow's knowledge societies. The assessment is forward looking, focusing on young people's ability to use their knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges, rather than mastering a specific school curriculum. Assessing young people at the end of their compulsory education is regarded as providing valuable insights into the performance of basic education systems (OECD, 1999, 2001). In this Special Issue, the rich data collected in the OECD PISA 2000 study will be exploited in various secondary analyses. These analyses mainly focus on socio-economic and cultural factors related to or associated with learning outcomes in reading and science. Some articles compare educational systems and cultures in all the Nordic countries, while others focus on two or only one of the countries. The authors of the articles in this issue work as researchers in the national PISA teams of the Nordic countries, which all take part in the PISA programme.

Studied the advantages and disadvantages of using multilevel models and the statistical program MLwiN in analyzing large-scale educational data with repeated measures. Used data from Finnish eighth graders in 1991 (n=1,123) and 1995 (n=1,113) to study the quality of school life over time. Results show the usefulness of the multilevel statistical analysis and demonstrate changes in general school satisfaction and teacher-student relations. (SLD)

Information acquisition and processing skills of 661 Finnish vocational education students were studied through students' writings, including an open-ended test. About 20 percent were assessed as self-directed learners, but the majority could search for and transmit information in a text. Results are discussed in light of demands of further education. (SLD)

Linnakyla examines definitions of literacy as an object of individual and social development and compares concepts of knowledge and literacy. Gronholm advocates the effectiveness of parents reading aloud to their children for 15 minutes per day in the improvement of children's reading skills. (SK)

Presents the summary of the study `Exploring the Secret of Finnish Reading Literacy Achievement,' by Pirjo Linnakyla published in the 1993 issue of `Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research'. Findings of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Reading Literacy Study in Finland; Quality of reading achievement.