Browsing by Author "Saarinen, Noora"

The differences between Finnish schools have been small compared to other countries in in-ternational comparisons. In contrast, the differences between classes have been remarka-ble. These differences have also been discovered to grow over years and thereby differenti-ate learning results of pupils. Potential reason for the differences is that the pupils of different performance level and background are divided into classes unevenly. In Finland, pupils re-ceiving special support are increasingly being taught inclusively in general education class-rooms instead of separate special classes. One objective of this study is to find out if the proportion of pupils receiving intensified or special support is related to the average perfor-mance of the class. The main objective of this Master’s Thesis was to find out whether there were differences between classes in performance and motivation, and which factors explain the possible variation. In addition to the proportion of pupils receiving intensified and special support, this study takes into account the proportion of pupils with immigrant background and the educational background of pupils’ mothers. The research data was part of the Centre of Educational Assessment’s Learning to Learn Assessment data from 2016. The participants of this study consisted of 1888 6th graders in 95 classes in one municipality in Southern Finland. The performance of the pupils was measured by their average grades in theoretical subjects and their performance in logical reasoning tasks. Motivation was assessed by a goal orientation questionnaire. Variance components analysis and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. This study discovered differences between classes in their average grades and perfor-mance in reasoning tasks. There were also smaller differences between classes in learning orientation and achievement orientation. According to this study, the higher education of the pupils’ mothers and the proportion of Finnish-speaking students in a class predicted higher grades and performance in class-level. Surprisingly, the proportion of pupils that received special support had a positive connection with the average grade of the class. However, it was not connected to the performance in reasoning tasks at class level. The proportion of pupils receiving intensified support was not connected to performance in class-level.