Browsing by Subject "abikurser"

Goal. The goal of this research is to investigate how the privatization within the Finnish education system, in the form of preparatory courses, has been affected after the student admissions reform in 2020. The students' choice of preparatory course, the participants' field of study and socio-economic background were investigated in more detail. After the student admissions reform, most students were admitted on the basis of grades as opposed to admission exams. Previous studies have shown that students who participate in these courses study more often on high compatible fields and have a higher socio-economic family background. Bourdieu & Passeron's theory of reproduction was used as the theoretical background. Methods. The research was carried out as a quantitative study where the data was collected by the statistics Finland. The survey was conducted as a web survey and was part of the Eurostudent surveys. The analysis was done with SPSS. In total, the sample consisted of 9782 university students divided into four distinct studies. Results and conclusions. The results indicate that participation in preparatory courses has decreased after the reform. In addition to this, participation among students who study on high compatible fields has decreased. Students with a higher socio-economic background still participated to a greater extent in preparatory courses. With the corona pandemic breaking out in 2020, however, it is too early to draw far-reaching conclusions. The results of this study can be used in future updates of the admissions reform.