Ulla Numminen & Helena KasurinenEVALUATION OF EDUCATIONAL GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLINGINFINLAND Evaluation 5/2003 National Board of EducationLayout: Sirpa RopponenISBN 952-13-1794-9 (paperback)ISBN 952-13-1795-7 (pdf)ISSN 1238-4453Yliopistopaino, Helsinki 20033The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandForewordThe student counselling, guidance and information given in comprehensiveschool,seniorsecondaryschoolsandvocationaleducationinstitutionswasevaluatedinFinlandin20012002.Intheevaluationspecialattentionhasbeen paid to pupil/student counselling in transitional stages, i.e. when movingfromthesixthtotheseventhgradeof comprehensiveschool,fromcomprehensive school to senior secondary school or vocational education andfrom upper secondary education to work or higher education.The first part ofthis report contains the overall design and main results oftheevaluation. The evaluation was based on the model ofevaluation ofeducationaloutcomesof theFinnishNationalBoardof Education.Thebasesof theevaluation are the goals concerning student counselling in national curriculumguidelines, educational legislation and other education-related target documents.Intheevaluation,themostcentralviewpointsof studentcounsellingwerepersonalcounselling,educationalcounselling,careerdevelopmentandplacement to further education and work, demand and availability ofpupil/studentcounselling,pupil/studentcounsellingintransitionalstagesofeducation and prevention ofdropping out ofeducation and social exclusion.The second part ofthis report contains two articles consisting ofthe initiativesand developments taken by the Finnish authorities, especially by the NationalBoard ofEducation as a result ofthe evaluation.In the Appendix 1 there is a short description ofthe Finnish education system.4The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandCONTENTSForewordUlla NumminenAn Evaluation of Educational Guidance and Counselling ....................... 5Appendix A .................................................................................... 31Helena Kasurinen & Raimo VuorinenInitiatives Generated by he Results of National Eevaluations on GuidanceProvision ...................................................................................... 33Raimo Vuorinen & Helena KasurinenPromoting National Guidance Policies ............................................... 39Appendix 1The Finnish Educational System ......................................................... 44Writers ...................................................................................... 455The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandUlla NumminenAn Evaluation of Educational Guidance andCounsellingIn Basic Education, General Upper Secondary Schooland Vocational Upper Secondary Education and DuringEducational TransitionsEducational guidance an counselling is beginning to attract growing attentionboth in Finland and in many other countries, manifested as various developmentprojects but also as a growing number ofevaluation studies ofeducationalguidanceandcounsellingprovision.InFinland,educationalguidanceandcounsellingofferedinhighereducationinstitutionswasevaluatedin2001(Moitus et al. 2001). An evaluation ofeducational guidance and counselling inbasiceducation,generaluppersecondaryschoolandvocationaluppersecondary education was completed in 2002, while an evaluation ofeducationalguidance and counselling in adult education underway just now will be finishedin 2003. At the same time Finland is taking part, as one of11 countries, in anOECDassessmentof nationalguidanceandcounsellingservices,thatiseducational and career information, counselling and guidance systems. Thisevaluation study will be completed in 2003.What does this increased interest in educational guidance indicate? Within theOECD, evaluation studies ofeducational guidance provision have stemmedprimarily from questions linked with transition from education to working lifeand/or higher education; in other words, evaluations have focused particularlyon career counselling and careers guidance. Another international emphasis islifelonglearning,whichstressestheacquisitionof studyskillsandtheemergenceandmaintenanceof studymotivationfromchildhoodonwardsthroughout adulthood. These emphases are linked particularly to the outcomesof education:howshalleducationrespondtosocialchangesanddemands(OECD 2000, Sweet 2000)?6The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandEducational Guidance and Counselling in the FinnishEducational SystemFrom a Finnish perspective, this growing topicality ofeducational guidanceand counselling is a matter of, apart from the above changes in society andworking life, also ofchanges in the educational system itself. In the 1980s and1990s, the flexibility ofthe school system was enhanced on many levels. Thereis more scope for student choice in curricula in basic education, general uppersecondaryschoolandvocationaluppersecondaryeducationalike.Course-boundandnon-gradedteachingandperiodisationof theschoolyearhaveaffected teaching arrangements and the organisation ofthe work ofthe school.New modes oflearning and new learning environments have been introducedineducationthroughnetwork-basedstudyingandbymakingwork-basedlearning a part ofvocational upper secondary education and training etc. Therearechangesalsoinhowqualificationsaretaken:itispossibletotaketheMatriculation Examination in three phases instead ofone, and in the vocationaleducation there is an option to take all or parts ofa vocational qualification asa competence-based qualification. Further and higher education tracks havesimilarly become more equal as a result ofvocational qualifications now givinggeneraleligibilityforhighereducation(Table1).Ontheotherhand,thesefactors that increase flexibility have also meant that there is more need for andstronger demand for educational guidance and counselling.On the other hand again, educational institutions now take more account ofthepupil/studentasanindividual.Basicstudiesincludeoptionalsubjects,whileingeneraluppersecondaryschoolandvocationaluppersecondaryeducation students have been given more say in the planning oftheir studiesthrough the introduction ofpersonal study programmes. Providers ofgeneraland vocational upper secondary education are required to cooperate locally orregionally with each other and with higher education establishments, whichexpandsthescopeforindividualchoice.Asaresultof thisnetworking,educationalguidanceandcounsellingmustsimilarlybedesignedtoreachbeyond the boundaries ofindividual institutions, to operate within a regionalnetwork ofeducational establishments.7The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandSuchanopeningupof educationalstructuresaffectsalsothestatusofeducational guidance and counselling in curricula (Vuorinen et al. 2000). As aresultof expandedstudentchoice,educationalguidanceandcounsellingbecomes the core ofthe curriculum, the nucleus around which what is knownas the individual study programme, constructed from different courses andmodules,takesshape.Accordingly,inthecontextof curriculumreformseducational guidance and counselling should be considered as a part ofthestrategic component ofthe curriculum, making it possible to legitimise guidanceand counselling from a perspective broader than that provided by the scopeofan individual study counsellors professional activities. To achieve this aneducational establishment must have also a shared vision ofthe approaches,defineddivisionof responsibilitiesamongteachersandcounsellors,andresources and administration ofits educational guidance provision. Everyoneshouldhaveaccesstoguidanceservices,andthereshouldbemeasurestoensurethatthestudentsandallstaff arekeptinformedabouttheservicesavailable and about who is responsible for each given type ofservice (op cit5051).TABLE 1. Reforms that increased the flexibility of education in the 1980s andthe 1990s.Curriculacourse-bound/modular curriculaincreased student choicecredit transfertaking courses outside ones own educational establishmentindividual study programmesTeachingmore study projects that cut across subject and institutionalboundariesdistance education, network-based education and other forms ofindependent studiesincorporating work-based learning periods into vocational uppersecondary educationTeaching arrangements and scheduling of studiesperiodisationnon-graded teaching, modular studies8The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in Finlandchanges stemming from an integrated comprehensive school inbasic educationinter-institutional cooperation at regional levelQualificationspossibility to take Matriculation Examination in phasesskills tests as a part of vocational qualificationsEducational trackspolytechnics as a new higher education trackexpansion of the eligibility for higher education gained in vocationalupper secondary educationInternationalisationinternational student and trainee exchangeInternationalisation is another factor that is broadening the range ofeducationalopportunities, with the result that homes, too, need more information abouttheseopportunitiesandthecontentof studyprogrammesinordertohelptheir children and young people to choose between the options available tothem.Evaluating Educational Guidance and CounsellingThe Finnish National Board ofEducation evaluated educational guidance andcounselling provision in 20012002, publishing its findings in the report Opin-to-ohjauksentila2002(Numminenetal.2002).Theevaluationstudycoverseducationalguidanceandcounsellinginbasiceducation,generaluppersecondaryschoolandvocationaluppersecondaryeducationwhilepayingattention also to educational transitions, or, more specifically, to transition fromgrade 6 to grade 7 in basic education, transition from basic education to generalupper secondary school or vocational upper secondary education, and transitionfrom upper secondary education to higher education or working life.9The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandFIGURE 1. Project for Evaluating Educational Guidance Provision: A Diagram(Numminen et al. 2002, 48).Educational guidance and counselling evaluation was based on the Model forEvaluatingEducationalOutcomes(Koulutuksentuloksellisuudenarviointi-malli, 1998) used by the National Board ofEducation, which has the followingthree component areas:- effectiveness, or how effectively the knowledge and skills producedby education promote individual learning on the one hand and thedevelopment ofworking life and the rest ofsociety on the other;- efficiency, or how well and functionally teaching provision has beenorganised and how flexibly the education system and its various partsoperate; and- financial accountability, or how optimally the funds allocated toeducation have been used (Figure 2).10The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandFIGURE 2. Evaluating the Efficacy of Educational Guidance and CounsellingProvision: A Model.An evaluation ofthe efficiency ofeducational guidance and counselling assesses amongother things the quality and availability ofguidance and counselling and howwell guidance provision serves the needs ofdifferent students; how up to dateit is and how responsive it is to the student on the one hand and to changes ineducationandtheworldof workontheother;whatareitspedagogicarrangements and methods; how up to date they are and how well they work;theguidancestaff andthemanagementcultureof theeducationalestablishment; and external conditions such as the physical facilities (Figure 2).11The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandEvaluating the effectiveness ofeducational guidance and counselling involves two mainviewpoints, that ofthe individual and that ofthe school system. Assessmenttargets such things as correspondence between the need for and the provisionofguidance, that is, how well educational guidance and counselling is able topromote the development of- learning - to - learn - skills and lifelong learningskills. Evaluations ofeach type ofschool appraised also the general smoothnessofthe study path and paid attention to how well prepared the students are formaking decisions about further studies and about entering working life. Fromthepointof viewof theschoolsystemthisisamatterof howsmoothlyeducational transitions take place.Asregardsthefinancialaccountabilityof educationalguidance,hereevaluationconsiders the amount and targeting ofthe resources allocated to educationalguidance and counselling. This involves taking a look among other things atthe number ofpupils/students under the supervision ofstudy counsellors indifferentschooltypes,thedevelopmentof educationalguidancemeasuresand so on.Assessments ofeducational guidance and counselling draw their evaluation criteriaprimarilyfromthegoalsdefinedineducationallegislation,thecurriculumguidelines, the Development and Research Plan for Education by Ministry ofEducation and other documents that set targets for education and educationalguidance and counselling. During evaluation they served as the source fromwhichtheevaluationquestionswerederivedasabasisfordesigningtheevaluation indicators.Right to Educational Guidance and counsellingThe1998educationallegislationstrengthenedthepositionof educationalguidance by including the right to pupil/student guidance and counselling into theregulations ofall school types. Pupils in basic education and students in generaluppersecondaryschoolandvocationaluppersecondaryeducationareallequallyentitledtoinstructionandeducationalguidance.Accordingtotheregulations,educationalguidanceisdeliveredasguidancelistedinthedistribution ofclassroom hours, implemented in most cases as classroom orsmall group teaching, with additional individual and other guidance servicesalso provided.12The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandThe curriculum reforms ofthe 1990s have retained the central aims oftheeducationalguidanceprovisionof the1980s,butthecurriculumguidelinesarticulated their content in more general terms;in other ways, too, the numberof instructionsrelatingtoeducationalguidancewasreduced.Thistrendisturninginthecurriculumguidelinespreparedinaccordancewiththe1998educationallegislation.Thecurriculumguidelinesgoverningvocationalqualificationsdefinestheaimsof educationalguidancewithgreaterclaritywhile also making the instructions concerning its provision more binding thanbefore (e.g. the Vocational Qualification in Metalwork and Machinery 2000,165,173).Thisisthetrendalsointhebasiceducationandgeneraluppersecondary school curricula which are being revised just now.Evaluation DesignFigure 3 presents a design for evaluating educational guidance and counsellingprovision.Thecentralcomponentareasrepresentingtheconditionofeducationalguidanceandcounselling,presentedinthefigureasconcentriccircles, were selected on the basis ofan analysis ofthe relevant regulations andother documents that set targets for educational guidance and counselling. Toensure many-sided assessment and explore the subject in greater depth, thedifferentcomponentareasof educationalguidanceandcounsellingwereconsidered from the perspective ofseveral agent groups, described in the sectorsofthe figure. The figure does not show the third level ofevaluation, whichdescribes different types ofeducational establishments. The concentric circlesin the figure are arranged in an order that gives prominence to the perspectiveofthe educational system. This is why the transition phases and the preventionofsocial exclusion are at the centre and why the pupils perspective becomesmoreprominentasweapproachthemargins.Thesizeof eachsectorwasdetermined with a view to placing emphasis particularly on the viewpoint ofthe pupil/student.13The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandFIGURE 3. Evaluation Design for Educational Guidance and CounsellingProvision: Component Areas and Perspectives of Evaluation.Some ofthe component areas ofevaluation belong to the educational systemlevel, some to the individual level:1) Educational transition phases or transitions are critical stages ofaneducational career where the pupil/student is more at risk ofdropping out of education than at other times during theirschooling. Successful transitions can be seen as one indicator thateducational guidance and counselling is working.2) Exclusion is often linked with educational transitions and withdropping out. The evaluation study considered the educationalguidance and counselling tools developed by study counsellors andeducational institutions for the early identification and preventionofexclusion.14The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in Finland3) A correspondence between the need for and provision ofeducational guidanceand counselling is based on objectives defined in educationallegislation stipulating that there must be an adequate provision ofeducational guidance and counselling. Educational guidance andcounselling and associated provision ofother types ofguidance andcounselling can be seen as a service system within an educationalestablishment intended to help the student to do well in theirstudies, promote their well-being and reduce the risk oftheirexclusion from education.4) Promoting personal growth and development is a core area ofeducationalguidance and counselling. The aim is to increase the students self-knowledge and support the pupil/student as they look for their ownstrengths; on the one hand nurturing their individuality, on theother hand preparing them for a life as a member ofsociety andenhancing their social skills. Because fostering the students growthand development is a task for the school community as a whole,evaluation considers also how well the guidance and counselling isseen as a part ofthe overall school practices.5) Helping the pupil/student to make decisions concerning their vocationalorientation and guiding their career choice is a long-term process. As setdown in the curriculum guidelines, it can start as early as in thelower grades ofbasic education in the form ofgeneralfamiliarisation with society and introduction to working life andoccupations, continuing throughout the upper classes and uppersecondary education and even later on. Educational choices -choosing, in upper secondary education, ones educational trackand, in vocational upper secondary education, ones study field - areparticularly critical stages ofthis process. Students face similarchoices also when they complete general upper secondary schooland vocational upper secondary education and either continue theirstudies or enter working life. How difficult the career choice processis is shown within the school system in such things as failure toenter upper secondary education, dropping out or switchingprogrammes and, at the level ofthe school system, also as multipleeducation.15The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in Finland6) The aim ofguidance on study skills and the provision ofstudy support is tofamiliarise the pupil/student with learning, help them to find theirown learning style and become aware ofany personal learningdifficulties, and reinforce their identity as a learner and preparethem for lifelong learning. This component area ofguidance andcounselling involves also monitoring the students study pathwithin each school form and, to some degree, also across thetransitions and helping them to make the different choices to bemade during their education.Evaluation PerspectivesThesecondpartof theevaluationdesignforeducationalguidanceandcounsellingprovisionconsistsof differentperspectivesonguidanceandcounselling. The pupil/student perspective describes how educational guidance andcounselling appears from the viewpoint ofthe individual, how it meets thestudentsneedforsupport,howithasbeenorganised,andhowwellthecounselling services are available.Studycounsellors,again,openupaperspectiveontheexpertiseneededineducationalguidanceandcounselling,ontheconditionsinwhichguidanceand counselling is delivered, and on how guidance and counselling is organisedwithin an educational establishment and on its status there. The principal bringsa perspective on how educational guidance and counselling works as a part ofthe operations and activities ofthe educational establishment as a whole andhowfaritisabletocontributetotheachievementof generaleducationalobjectives.The principal is also obliged appraise the school as a guidance and counsellingcommunity, that is, judge how successfully the school community as a wholeandalltheteachersareabletopromotestudentgrowthandlearningand,further, what is the status ofeducational guidance and counselling in the contextofschool management.The education providers perspective on educational guidance and counselling islinked with strategic management and regional questions and the allocationof resources for education.The parents perspective is connected with how the parents are informed aboutthe pupils school attendance, studies and choices, and what kind ofsupportthey assume their child is receiving at school.16The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandGathering the Evaluation DataTheevaluationsurveyswerecarriedoutmainlyinSeptember2001.Theycovered, retrospectively, educational guidance and counselling delivered in theschool year 20002001. The evaluation materials consisted ofquestionnairedata collected from provincial administrative boards (N=5), education providers(N=138),principals/subjectareadirectorsof schools(N=460),studycounsellors (N=502), pupils/students (N=8,147) and parents (N=4,050), andofmore in-depth interview materials gathered at regional level and, additionally,ofthe sections on educational guidance and counselling in the school curricula.With a view to gaining information on the transition phases, the surveys werecarried out at a time when the pupils had just made a transition; for example,the pupils asked to evaluate educational guidance and counselling in the upperclasses ofbasic education had just started their first year ofstudy in generaluppersecondaryschoolorvocationaluppersecondaryeducation.Theevaluationstudysurveyed376educationalestablishments.Thesamplewasnationally representative.The evaluation data were used to calculate a number ofsummed variables, theintentionbeingtoemploythiscondensedgroupof summedvariablestodescribe the organisation ofeducational guidance and counselling provisionand compare the various types ofmaterial making up the data and thus assessthe efficacy ofeducational guidance and counselling. The summed variableswerecalculatedfromquestionscoveringeachareaof educationalguidanceand counselling separately for each pupil/student group, the study counsellors,the principals and the education providers. Accordingly, different groups hadsummed variables with the same names and, on principle, same contents ( seeAppendix A ), which made possible comparison across the different types ofmaterial and contributed to a many-sided interpretation.Evaluation FindingsBecause the evaluation study was based on a multilevel design, the findingscan similarly be considered from the point ofview ofseveral different agentgroups.However,itisnotpossibleheretodiscussthefindingsindetailorfrom the viewpoint ofany individual agent group. Instead, we present below,on the basis of the publication Numminen and others 2002, the most centralresults ofthe evaluation study as what may be called an overall assessment.17The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandThereareseriousshortcomingsregardingaccesstoeducationalguidance and counselling.Accesstoeducationalguidanceandcounsellingwasassessedasfollows:1)determiningthenumberof pupils/studentsunderthechargeof anindividualstudycounsellor;2)lookingatthepupils/students,thestudycounsellors and the principals evaluations ofhow easily available educationalguidanceandcounsellingwas;and3)ascertaininghowmucheducationalguidance and counselling the pupils/students hadreceived or made use of.In basic education grades 79, full-time study counsellors were responsible for anaverageof 245,part-timestudycounsellorsfor93pupils.Thenumberofpupils ranged between 7 and 530. In general upper secondary schools, full-time study counsellors were in charge ofan average of288, part-time studycounsellors 182 students, ranging between 16 and 685. In vocational upper secondaryeducation establishments, full-time study counsellors were responsible for an averageof 510students,whileevenpart-timecounsellorslookedaftersome220students. The number ofstudents ranged between 7 and 1,042.In those schools where the study counsellor has a great number ofstudents,more than 300, at least some the pupils/students will fail to receive enoughindividual guidance and counselling. About a fifth ofthe comprehensives, alittle less than a third ofthe general upper secondary schools and a good thirdofthe vocational upper secondary education establishments covered in thestudy belonged to this category. The pupils/students similarly assessed accessto guidance and counselling as at best moderate. At the same time, however,thestudentsreportedthatwhenneededtheywereabletomakeapromptappointment,whichmaybeassumedtoreflectthestudycounsellorsresponsiveness to the students needs. However, such first aid cannot serve asthe foundation ofeducational guidance and counselling provision.Adequate support for studies and personal development is not availableto all pupils/students.According to Finnish school legislation (Acts 628/98, 629/98, 630/98), a pupil/student has the right to an adequate provision ofpersonal and other guidanceand counselling. The evaluation findings show that this objective is not achieved.18The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandAs the basic education pupils saw it, they had at most moderate access to educationalguidance and counselling (the average value ofthe summed variable was 3.1on a 15 scale), while the student counsellors rated access lower (average value2.9) and the principals considered it fairly good (average value 3.7)1.Inbasiceducation,aboutafifth(19%)of thepupilshadneverreceivedormade use ofindividual guidance and counselling during grades 79. Boys andpupilsorientedtowardsvocationaluppersecondaryeducationwereoverrepresented in this group, and the groups school achievement was a littlelower than that ofthe other pupils. It should be noted here that pupils whomade no use ofeducational guidance and counselling included also childrenwho did well at school. Thus, reasons for not receiving or using educationalguidanceandcounsellingcanvary.Girlsreceivedormadeuseof personaleducational guidance and counselling a little more than boys.The general upper secondary school students assessments ofaccess to educationalguidance and counselling ranged between rather poor and moderate (averagevalue 2.7). The study counsellors rated access as moderate (average 2.9). Thedifference is statistically significant. The principals gave no assessment ofthissubject. A good third (36 %) ofthe students thought that they had received anadequateorfairlyadequateamountof individualguidanceandcounselling,but nearly two fifths (39%) ofthem considered that they had not been providedwithanythinglikeenoughguidanceandcounselling.Therewereregionaldifferencesintheavailabilityof educationalguidanceandcounselling,withstudents attending general upper secondary schools in urban areas and in count-ry municipalities reporting better access to educational guidance and counsellingthanstudentsattendinggeneraluppersecondaryschoolsinsmallertowns.Thisisastatisticallysignificantdifference.Inthepresentdata,nolinkwasfound between the size ofa general upper secondary school and the availabilityofeducational guidance and counselling.Thevocationalstudentsassessmentsof accesstoeducationalguidanceandcounselling ranged between rather poor and moderate (average value 2.8). Thestudy counsellors rated access considerably higher (average value 3.3). A goodthird (38 %) ofthe students thought that they had received an adequate orfairlyadequateamountof individualguidanceandcounselling,butontheotherhand,nearlyhalfofthem(43%)consideredthattheyhadnotbeengiven enough guidance and counselling.____________________1 5=very good/much, 4=fairly well/quite a lot, 3=tolerably well/moderately, 2=ratherpoorly/not much, 5=not at all19The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandWhileaccesstoeducationalguidanceandcounsellingwasnot,generallyspeaking, very easy, a good two thirds ofthe comprehensive school pupils,threefourthsof thegeneraluppersecondaryschoolstudentsandagoodtenth ofthe vocational students considered that they were able to make anappointment for seeing the study counsellor immediately or within a few days.Theproportionof pupils/studentswhoreportedthatitwasimpossibletomake an appointment for individual guidance and counselling even when theyneeditwas4percentinbasiceducation,3percentinvocationaluppersecondary education and zero in general upper secondary school. Waiting timesmight also draw out, up to as much as a month. The study counsellors similarlyreported that there are students - only a few per cent, to be sure - who, becauseofa lack oftime, receive no individual guidance and counselling even whenthey need it.Guidance and counselling on further studies successful, lowest standardsfoundinguidanceandcounsellingonstudyskills,problemswithguidance and counselling on vocational orientation.Thepupils/students,studycounsellors,principalsandeducationproviderswereaskedhowsuccessfullythecoretasksof educationalguidanceandcounsellingsetinthecurriculumguidelinesarebeingfulfilled:1)guidanceandcounsellingonpersonalgrowthanddevelopment,2)guidanceandcounsellingonstudyskillsandstudying,3)guidanceandcounsellingonvocational orientation and 4) guidance and counselling on further studies.As regards guidance and counselling on personal growth and development, the pupils/studentsrateditsprovisionasbetweenratherpoorandmoderate(theassessments ranged from 2.5 to 3.5). The study counsellor did serve as a sourceofsupport but in basic education for example, only one in ten pupils consideredthat the other teachers in their school had supported their personal growth. The pupils/students rated the provision of guidance and counselling on studyskills as being between rather poor and moderate. To generalise, a fourth ofthe general upper secondary school students andvocational students at mosthad received significant help with their learning, developing their study methodsandsettingthemselvesstudygoals.Thegeneraluppersecondaryschoolstudents assessed guidance and counselling on study skills and studying at 2.2,the vocational students at 2.0 and the basic education pupils at 3.53.9.20The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandThe evaluation study found that guidance and counselling on vocational orientation isone ofthe problem areas at school. In all types ofschool the pupils/studentswere well aware ofthe importance ofcareer choice and valued various formsoffamiliarisation with working life and occupations. However, the evaluationstudy revealed, in many ways, a great need felt among basic education pupils inparticular for knowledge about the world ofwork and occupations. There wasnot enough information on these subjects, while ways ofintroducing studentsto working life are similarly in need ofdevelopment. According to the students,therewasabundantinformationonqualifications,butthecontentofoccupations and ofthe job tasks entailed by them remained hazy. This is aserious shortcoming, significant also from a societal perspective.Even though in basic education career counselling starts as early as in grade 7 andfocusesongrade9,therewerechildrenwhowerestillunclearabouttheircareer choice when they left comprehensive school, and this included pupilswho had opted for vocational education. Halfthe pupils who had opted forgeneral upper secondary school explained their decision by saying that it wouldgive them more time to choose a career. Ofthose who had opted for vocationalupper secondary education, one in ten reported that they had made their choiceonlyduringthenationwidejointapplicationsystem;moreover,amongthisstudent group only a good tenth (15%) believed that they had found their ownfield, about a third (30 %) were uncertain about the matter and more than ahalfsaid that their chosen study field was not really what they wanted. Thus,many students already in vocational upper secondary education are still in needofguidance and counselling on their vocational orientation.Most general upper secondary school students similarly thought that they had notbeen given enough information on working life and occupations; two thirdshad had no working life orientation periods. Other studies also support theview that students do not accumulate enough experience ofthe world ofworkduring their studies and that the impact ofthe job-related information integratedintodifferentschoolsubjectsandof theinformationdeliveredduringeducational guidance and counselling lessons tends to remain superficial.There is an obvious need to develop the methods and approaches ofcareercounselling. Reaching clarity about a career for oneselfis a long-term processthat should begin early; there should also be stronger parent involvement. Asit is, it was not from school but from their own children that the parents learnedmost about further and higher education options and career choice. An examplemight be provided by development discussions around career choice betweenthestudycounsellor,thepupilandtheparentsconductedinsome21The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in Finlandcomprehensive schools. However, the current resources are too limited forsuch a method.Guidance and counselling on further studies is rated high by all student groups (averagevalue 3.34.1). The study counsellors and the principals similarly consideredthatitworkedwell.Theparentsassessmentof howwelltheyhadbeeninformed about their childrens further and higher education options was alittle lower (average value 2.9).Monitoring and feedback systems are flawed. The principals and studycounsellors rate the delivery ofeducational guidance and counsellinghigher than the students.Educationallegislationrequireseducationproviderstoevaluatetheirownoperations.Asregardsschoolsprovisionof educationalguidanceandcounselling, the situation is unsatisfactory. Only about a third ofthe educationalestablishments had conducted a self-assessment of their educational guidanceand counselling provision. Less than halfthe general upper secondary schoolsand more than halfthe comprehensive schools and vocational upper secondaryeducation institutions had a system for monitoring pupils/students who hadleft the school to take up further studies elsewhere or who had dropped out.However, the principals answers suggest that monitoring is not systematic.Nor are the schools internal systems for monitoring and collecting feedbackontheireducationalguidanceandcounsellingprovisionworking.Thisisindicated among other things by the great differences in answers concerningthe functioning ofeducational guidance and counselling provision betweenthe pupils/students and the principals themselves. It was also repeatedly foundthatthestudycounsellorsratedthedeliveryof educationalguidanceandcounsellinghigherthanthestudents,theprincipalshigherthanthestudycounsellors. A part ofthese differences are explained by different perspectives.However, they may also stem from the students views about, for example,access to educational guidance and counselling never reaching the principal.Accordingly, when the principals make decisions about educational guidanceand counselling, they do it on grounds not based on pupil/student demandand need for educational guidance and counselling.22The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandFactors that increase the flexibility ofthe school system have heighteneddemandandtheneedforeducationalguidanceandcounselling.Individual study programmes are still an option only for the few.In the 1980s and 1990s, the Finnish school system was made more flexible amongother things by expanding student choice in curricula, by introducing course-form and non-graded teaching, by making it possible to take the MatriculationExamination in several phases instead ofone etc. These factors which haveincreased the flexibility ofthe educational system have simultaneously increaseddemand for and the need for educational guidance and counselling, somethingthat schools have not taken into account when making decisions about resourcesforeducationalguidanceandcounselling.Logically,thisincreasedneedforguidanceandcounsellingshouldhaveledtoareductioninthenumberofpupils/students per study counsellor. What has happened instead is that thefigures for pupils/students per study counsellor have remained the same since1996.The principals considered that the need for educational guidance and counsellinghad grown, among other things because ofchanges in the school system andbecause pupils/students and families are facing more problems, possibly as aresult ofthe 1990s depression in Finland. No principal suggested that therewas less need for educational guidance and counselling. It was observed abovethat a substantial number ofpupils/students never received the educationalguidance and counselling that they needed. According to the study counsellors,the most important reason for this was a lack oftime.Nor has individual choice been adequately implemented. According to educationallegislation, general upper secondary school and vocational students have theright to take courses delivered in other educational establishments. Such optionswere still far from universally available.More than one out often students (13 % in general upper secondary school,17% in vocational upper secondary education institutions) reported that it wasnotpossible,intheirschool,totakecoursesofferedinothereducationalestablishments. A personal study programme had been prepared for an average ofhalf thegeneraluppersecondaryschoolstudentsandaboutafifthof thevocationalstudents.Whilethequestionsaretoadegreeopentovariousinterpretations, the findings do show that a sizable number ofstudents considerthat they have little say in how their studies are planned. This means passingup an important opportunity to teach students to construct their own studyprogrammes, an indispensable skill particularly from the perspective oflifelonglearning skills.23The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandThese results are supported by the principals answers, which indicate that inpractice, preconditions for choosing studies in other educational establishmentshad been created in about halfthe general upper secondary schools and in 80per cent ofthe vocational upper secondary education institutions.Developingguidanceandcounsellingenvironments-usingITtoenhance individual guidance and counselling.The growing need for educational guidance and counselling cannot be metsolely by increasing classroom-based or individual guidance and counsellingservices, although there is an obvious and substantial need to increase resourcesalso in these areas in order to achieve the targets set in educational legislationconcerning the provision ofall students with adequate educational guidanceand counselling.International evaluation studies (the OECD 20012003 policy evaluation ofguidanceandcounsellingprovisioninseveralcountries,preliminaryinformation)foregroundtheconstruction,notonlyforadultsbutalsoforyoung people, ofguidance and counselling environments that exploit IT. Thus,in Finland this would mean starting projects for developing IT-based guidanceandcounsellingenvironmentsinbasiceducation,generaluppersecondaryschool and vocational upper secondary education. Launching such projectscannotbelefttothedevelopmentinitiativeof schoolsorindividualstudycounsellors alone because designing guidance and counselling environmentsof anewkinddemandsnotonlyresourcesandexpertiseinguidanceandcounselling contents but also a type of familiarity with using IT in guidanceand counselling that study counsellors, as revealed by this evaluation, generallylack. As assessed by the education providers, principals and study counsellors,the standard ofIT expertise and facilities in schools are moderate (averagevalue 2.73.7), but only about halfofthe study counsellors estimated thatthey had the knowledge and skills to use IT in their guidance and counsellingactivities.ThecounsellorsratedtheirITskillsasnearlytheirweakestcompetence area.There are study materials that draw on IT, but according to the study counsellorsthey are not very useful. Most ofthem have been designed for expert use, notwith the needs ofcomprehensive school-age children in mind.24The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandThejobof astudycounsellor:severalironsinthefire,allof themimportant. Study counsellors qualifications, numerical adequacy andcompetence level.As compared to studies carried out in the early 1990s, todays study counsellorsaremorehighlytrained.Bycontrast,theirqualificationlevelcannotbeconsideredsatisfactory.Of full-timestudycounsellors,79percenthadcompleted the training required ofa study counsellor but ofall persons givingguidance and counselling only halfhad completed the relevant studies. In otherwords, nearly half(43%) ofall study counsellors were unqualified. The situationis particularly worrying among recently appointed study counsellors, ofwhom80percenthadnotrainingineducationalguidanceandcounselling.Thus,those entrusted with the duties ofa study counsellor, very much a job for anexpert, start their career, as a rule, without appropriate training.Thefindingsof theevaluationstudysuggestthatthestudycounsellorsarestrongly committed to their work. In all school types, the study counsellorswork consisted ofa great number oftasks, many ofthem without any linkwiththecoreareasof educationalguidanceandcounsellingor,inthefirstplace, with educational guidance and counselling as such, such as substitutingfor teachers, supervisory duties, or preparing the school schedule. One reasonbehind this multiplicity oftasks making up the study counsellors job is that inan educational establishment, the study counsellor is often the only person,apart from the principal, working under the total work hours system who can,as a part ofthe division oflabour within the school, easily be assigned otherthan teaching duties.Theproblemisthateventhestudycounsellorsthemselvesratedasfairlyimportant tasks that are secondary from the perspective ofeducational guidanceand counselling. This suggests that study counsellors feel also more generallyresponsibility for the overall functioning oftheir schools. It is obvious that thecurrent division ofresponsibilities within educational establishments does notallow the study counsellors possibility to concentrate on their core tasks andon developing educational guidance and counselling, particularly in a situationwhere there is more need for guidance and counselling than there are workhours for delivering it and at a time when guidance and counselling needs aregrowing. The amount ofovertime was, similarly, worryingly large.FamiliaritywithinternationalworkandstudyopportunitiesandITskillsemerged as the competence areas that the study counsellors considered theirweakest. Study counsellors serving in basic education knew considerably less25The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in Finlandabout vocational upper secondary education than they did about general uppersecondaryschool,andaccordingtothemtherewasalsolessinformationavailableonvocationaluppersecondaryeducationthanongeneraluppersecondary school. This situation must be considered a serious shortcomingfrom the perspective both ofguidance and counselling provision and ofparityofesteem between the two educational tracks.A failure to implement guidance and counselling as a task belonging toall teachers.The curriculum guidelines define guidance and counselling as a task belongingtoallteachers,with the study counsellor bearing main responsibility for itsdesign. The evaluation study took a look at the educational establishment as awhole as a guidance and counselling community, among other things by askingthe principals whether their school had a guidance and counselling plan andhowfarallteachers,inthecontextof teachingtheirownsubjects,guidedstudying or otherwise assumed responsibility for supporting students.The principals and study counsellors rated their educational establishments asatbestmoderatelysuccessfulasguidancecommunities(averagevalue2.93.3). Only one basic education pupil in ten considered that the other teachersintheirschoolguidedstudyingorpupilspersonalgrowth,withhelpwithlearning difficulties in particularly short supply. While the pupils views are toadegreeopentointerpretation,theirexperiencecannotbedisputed.Theprincipalssimilarlyjudgedtheguidanceandcounsellinggivenbytheotherteachers inadequate.In practice, many teachers spontaneously guide and support, as a part oftheireverydayprofessionalactivitiesintheclassroom,theirpupils/students.However,theevaluationfindingssuggestthateducationalguidanceandcounsellingingeneralandguidanceandcounsellingonstudyingandstudyskills in particular has not been defined, in schools division ofresponsibilities,withsufficientclarityasadutyof allteachers.Inreality,thewholeschoolcommunity is responsible for the students studies and for ensuring that theirplansforfurtherstudiesarerealised,whetherthevariousmembersof thecommunity make their guidance and counselling contribution systematicallyor unconsciously.26The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandPoor provision ofthe skills needed for lifelong learning.The objectives set in the curriculum guidelines include the provision oflifelonglearning skills. In the present context this means fostering a positive attitudetowards studying, self-directedness in ones studies, mastery ofindependentstudy skills, and an ability to pursue studies also over information networks.Educational guidance and counselling has been successful in promoting lifelonglearning skills to the extent that the assessment ofself-directedness calculatedfrom the questions about pupil/student self-directedness was moderately good(average value 3.43.6). Guidance and counselling on further studies was, intheopinionof thestudents,thestudycounsellorsandtheprincipalsalike,another strongest area ofeducational guidance and counselling.However,itmustbeconsideredasashortcomingthatingeneraluppersecondary school and in vocational upper secondary education, far from allstudents have gained experience ofextensive independent studies as measuredas a block ofstudies consisting ofat least a course or a credit (study week).A little less than halfthe general upper secondary school students and a thirdofthe vocational students had completed independent studies ofthis scope,while as regards network-based studying, only 1.4 per cent ofthe general uppersecondaryschoolstudentsand3.3percentof thevocationalstudentshadfinishedstudiesof similarextent.Moreover,therewereeducationalestablishments where students simply had no access to network-based studies.One in four general upper secondary school principals and halfthe vocationaluppersecondaryeducationestablishmentprincipalsreportedthatnetwork-based studies were not possible in their school. The last few years have seen agreat deal ofresources invested in what are known as virtual school or network-based instruction projects at the same time as teachers have been given trainingin IT with the aim of, among other things, providing support for and guidanceandcounsellingonnetwork-basedstudying.Accordingtotheevaluationfindings, a good many ofthe educational institutions are yet to progress beyondthe first stages ofthese developments.Educational transitions - successful study paths or dropping out?The evaluation study covered three central transitions within the Finnish schoolsystem: 1) transition from grade 6 to grade 7 in basic education; 2) transitionfrom basic education to general upper secondary school or vocational uppersecondary education; and 3) transition from general upper secondary schoolor vocational upper secondary education to higher education and/or workinglife. The evaluation study considered these transitions from two perspectives,27The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in Finlandthatof theindividualandthatof theschoolsystem.Fromtheindividualsperspective, the question is whether the pupil/student is given enough informationand support to help them with the choices that must be made during thesetransitions.Theperspectiveof theschoolsystemconcernsthequestionof howsmoothly such transitions are accomplished.The schools pay many-sided attention to the transition from grade 6 to grade 7 inbasiceducation,usingseveralapproachestofamiliarisingthepupilsandtheirparents with studying in the upper classes. However, depending on the subject,between about a third and as many as more than halfthe parents consideredthat they had been poorly informed about their childs transition to grade 7.According to the principals assessment, at this stage an average of57 percent ofthe pupils are not, in practice, sufficiently mature to make the transitionto studies at the upper level ofcomprehensive school.The pupils are prepared for the transition from basic education to general upper secondaryschool or vocational upper secondary education, as a part ofeducational guidance andcounselling provision, throughout the grades 79. The evaluation study showsthat comprehensive schools took good care over guiding the pupils throughthe process ofapplying for upper secondary education through the nationwidejointapplicationsystem,whilemorethanthreeinfourstudycounsellorsworking in basic education gave their pupils what is known as post-applicationguidance and counselling on finding a student place. Nevertheless, there aremany student groups that have obviously not been adequately supported intheirchoicesbecausetheyhavenotbeenabletomakedecisionsontheireducation: 1) pupils who leave basic education without plans for further studies;2) pupils who move to general upper secondary school without definite plansonlybecausetheywanttohavemoretimetodecideaboutacareer;and3) pupils who, after entering vocational upper secondary education, abandontheir studies or switch to another study field because their initial choice provedwrong.Yearly,thisisagroupof some8,5001youngpeople(pupilswhoparticipateinadditional10thformandpupilswhofailtoapplyforuppersecondary education or take up their student place there).As was pointed out above in the section discussing guidance and counsellingon vocational orientation, at the start oftheir upper secondary education asubstantial number ofstudents were, both in general upper secondary schooland in upper secondary vocational education, still uncertain about their (career)choice. Addressing transition problems presupposes both resources and thefurther development both ofthe methods ofand the study materials used inguidance and counselling on vocational orientation.____________________1 The size of age cohort in Finland is about 65 000.28The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandParity ofesteem between the general upper secondary school track and the vocational track isone ofthe questions involved in this particular transition. The evaluation studyrevealedacleardisparityintheesteemaccordedtothesetwotracks.Theprincipals and study counsellors ofgeneral upper secondary schools reportedsmoother cooperation with educational guidance and counselling provision inbasiceducationthandidtheprincipalsandstudycounsellorsof vocationaluppersecondaryeducationestablishments.Further,thereweregapsintheknowledgethatthestudycounsellorsworkinginbasiceducationhadofvocationaluppersecondaryeducation.Thestudycounsellorsthemselvesconsidered that they had been more poorly informed about vocational educationthan about general upper secondary education. These gaps affect also studycounsellorsabilitytoprovidetheirguidanceandpupilsorstudentswithinformationonvocationaleducation.Similarly,theparentsof pupilsinthefinal grade ofbasic education learned more about general upper secondaryschool than about vocational upper secondary education.Among the questions associated with the transition from general upper secondaryschool or vocational upper secondary education to higher education and/or working life arethe emergence ofdefinite plans for further studies and possession ofthe skillsneededtoapplyforastudentplaceorajob.Theproblemsrelatedtothisspecific transition include prolongation ofupper secondary studies, a lack ofwell-defined plans for further studies, problems with finding a student place inhigher education and/or with finding a job. The evaluation study found thataccording to the principals and study counsellors, students were well acquaintedwith options for further studies but that less than halfthe students themselvesconsidered that they had been well informed about the various higher educationopportunities. This finding may in part stem from the point oftime at whichthe evaluation was carried out.As regards students participating in additional 10th form, only some ofthem hadbeenpreparedapersonalstudyprogrammeasstipulatedinthecurriculumguidelines, and additional 10th form is still being delivered partly as graded/classroom-based teaching. The reason may lie in parallel student needs, such asraising their grades, but regardless ofthis, a personal study programme is afactor that, because it promotes a young persons growth and developmentand fosters a goal-directed approach to studying, cannot be passed over. Theprincipals estimated that three students in four had a completed plan for furtherstudies by the conclusion oftheir additional 10th form. There was no adequatemonitoringof studentswhodroppedoutof theadditional10thformprogramme.29The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandPreventingsocialexclusion-studentmonitoringleavesmuchtobedesired.The evaluation study did not include those young people who failed to gain aschool-leavingcertificatefrombasiceducationorneverentereduppersecondary education. According to other research, it is young people withoutvocational education who are most at risk ofexclusion.Theevaluationstudylookedatthepotentialandmeansthateducationalguidanceandcounsellingandeducationalestablishmentshavetopreventexclusion. The study counsellors estimated that an average of3.5 per cent ofpupils in basic education and 8.5 per cent ofstudents in vocational educationare at risk ofdropping out ofor being excluded from education. Accordingto the estimate ofthe basic education principals, an average of57 per centoftheir pupils were not mature enough to move from grade 6 to studies at theupper level ofcomprehensive school, while some 7 per cent ofcomprehensive-school pupils lacked the knowledge and skills adequate for a move to uppersecondary education. As for identifying exclusion, the study counsellors paidattention to student absences; generally speaking, absences were monitoredsatisfactorily, though not in all schools covered in the study.The most central means used by the educational establishments to preventexclusionwasthepupil/studentwelfareteam,whichoperatedinnearlyallcomprehensives, in 80 per cent ofthe vocational upper secondary educationestablishments and in halfthe general upper secondary schools. The evaluationstudy examined also the resources for pupil/student welfare available in theeducational institutions. On average, a little less than halfofthem had accesstotheservicesof aschoolsocialworker,whiletheservicesof aschoolpsychologists were even less common. This is problematic not only because itmeansaninadequateprovisionof suchservicesbutalsobecauseintheirabsence the study counsellors often found themselves performing also dutiesthat are normally the domain ofa school social worker or psychologist. Sucha situation cannot be considered even tolerable.All education providers (96 %) saw educational guidance and counselling asan important tool for preventing exclusion but as against that, substantiallyfewer(67%)consideredthattheyhadallocatededucationalguidanceandcounselling adequate resources.30The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandThemonitoringsystemsoperatedbytheeducationprovidersandthecomprehensive schools did not reach pupils belonging to the above-mentionedat-risk groups, nor were the schools aware oftheir later placement in educationor working life or such information was random. It should be noted here thatFinnish schools have no regulatory obligation to monitor their pupils/students;at the same time, such monitoring might contribute to the schools' own self-assessment.31The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandAppendix Aa)Summedvariablesdescribingthedeliveryandconditionof educationalguidanceandcounselling, which include:1) guidance and counselling on growth and development2) guidance and counselling on study skills and studying3) guidance and counselling on vocational orientation4) guidance and counselling on further studies5) choosing a school6) choosing a study field/educational track7) choosing subjects8) individual study programmes9) access to educational guidance and counselling10) transition in basic education from grade 6 to grade 711) transition from basic education to upper secondary education12) transition from upper secondary education to working life/higher education13) preventing exclusion.b) Summed variables describing the preconditions and situation ofeducational guidanceand counselling provision, which include:14) attitudes towards studying15) quality of educational guidance and counselling16)conditionof andresourcesavailableforeducationalguidanceandcounselling17) IT standard of the educational establishment18)studymaterialsavailableforeducationalguidanceandcounsellingandtheir use and quality19) the educational establishment as a counselling community20) the status and function ofeducational guidance and counselling provisionas an aspect ofschool management and21) regional cooperation.c)Summedvariablesdescribingthepupils/studentsowndevelopmentandcompetencelevel, called in this evaluation study criterion variables, include1) personal growth and development2) study skills3) vocational orientation4) preparedness for further studies and5) self-directedness.32The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandReferencesKoulutuksen tuloksellisuuden arviointimalli [Model for evaluating educationaloutcomes]. Arviointi 7/1998. Helsinki, Finland: Opetushallitus.Moitus,S.,Huttu,K.,Isohanni,I.,Lerkkanen,J.,Mielityinen,I.,Talvi,U.,Uusi-Rauva, E. & Vuorinen R. 2001. Opinto-ohjauksen arviointi korkeakou-luissa[Anevaluationof educationalguidanceandcounsellingprovisioninhigher education institutions]. Korkeakoulujen arviointineuvoston julkaisuja13:2001. Helsinki, Finland: Edita.Numminen, U., Jankko, T., Lyra-Katz, A., Nyholm, N., Siniharju, M. & Svedlin,R.2002.Opinto-ohjauksentila2002.Opinto-ohjauksenarviointiperus-opetuksessa,lukiossajaammatillisessakoulutuksessa[Stateof educationalguidance in 2002. An evaluation ofeducational guidance and counselling inbasiceducation,generaluppersecondaryschoolandvocationaluppersecondary education]. Arviointi 8/2002. Helsinki, Finland: Opetushallitus.OECD2000.TransitionfromInitialEducationtoWorkingLife.MakingTransitions Work. Education and Skills. Paris: OECD.OECD 2002.Why Career Information, Guidance and CounsellingMatterfor Public Policy. Working Draft no 1. 7.1.2002. OECD. http://www.oecd.org/pdf/M00024000/M00024123.pdf.Printed out 15 July 2002.Sweet, R. 2002. An International Study ofCareer Guidance Policies. In AVO2001. Ammatinvalinnanohjauksen vuosikirja. Tyministeri. 69B77.Vuorinen, J. 2000. Opinto-ohjaus - ohjausta koulunuorison keskuudessa. InOnnismaa & al. 2000, 70-88. [Guidance and couselling amongst the youth atschools.]33The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandHelena Kasurinen & Raimo VuorinenInitiatives Generated by the Results of NationalEvaluations on Guidance ProvisionIn Finland careers information, guidance and counselling services are providedmainlybytwopublicservicesystems:studentcounsellingwithinthepublicschool system, and the services run by the public labour administration. Schoolshavethemainresponsibilityforstudentcounselling,withtheguidanceandcounselling services ofthe employment offices complementing these services.TheMinistryof Educationisresponsiblefortheorganisationof guidanceand counselling services in comprehensive and upper secondary schools andin higher education. The regulations concerning the educational environmentsand system are drawn by the Ministry ofEducation. The National Board ofEducation is responsible for the national curriculum guidelines for differentschoolsubjects,includinginstructionsforguidanceandcounsellingincomprehensiveanduppersecondaryeducation.Inhighereducation,polytechnics and universities are themselves responsible for their career services.The results ofthe evaluation projects dealing with guidance and counsellingservices have caused the need for development projects. After the first widenational evaluation project in higher education several development projectshave taken place in 20002003. The themes ofthe projects have focused onhow to minimize the amount ofdrop -outs and how to counsel and supportthe students during their study path so that they finish their studies in plannedtime. Different methods used in counselling have also been developed in theseprojects.Afterthesecondevaluationprojectdealingwithguidanceandcounsellingservices in basic and upper secondary level education the National Board ofEducation has concentrated on developing guidance and counselling servicesin these educational settings. Moreover, the guidance and counselling servicesdeliveredinadulteducationareevaluatedin2003andthereisaplanfordevelopment project dealing with adult education as well.34The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandThe aim ofthe national development project is to develop the guidance andcounselling services ofdifferent educational settings so that the local plansforproducingcounsellingatschoolsfollowthenewnationalcurriculumguidelines. The other goal is to coordinate the different projects conducted inthis area so that the good practices born in these projects could be implementedin counselling services delivered by different educational establishments.During the development projects the need has raised for describing the differentdimensions ofproducing guidance and counselling services. The frames forthe following model were developed to create the overall guidance provisionwithin institutional level in Hme Polytechnic (Hakulinen & Kasurinen 2002).The goal ofthe model has been to have congruence between the strategicplanning and the implementation ofguidance services.It is focusing both onthepracticeandpolicy.Theaimhasbeentoillustratethetransparencyofservices both for decision makers and the various service providers. In thismodel guidance can be seen as a chain ofservices and the responsibilities ofdifferentproviderscanbedescribedindifferentlayers.Italsoprovidesaplatform to generate common concepts for different stake holders. As a whole,it provides one framework to make the best use ofexisting resources to meetthe demand ofguidance services and the needs from different client groupsduring the different phases ofan individual learning programme.The model has been developed further so that it can be used as a frameworkin developing guidance and counselling services in different educational settings.The overall guidance provision can be described in seven dimensions:Contextual dimension - National decision making and policy on guidanceand counselling issues, legislation, national curriculumguidelines, etc.Systemic dimension - Description ofthe contexts, development ofthelocal and schools' curricula, to what extent individual programmes arepossible, how faculties support the individuals, how the teaching isorganised etc.Time dimension - Guidance services during different phases oftheindividual learning program; pre-entry, entry, on-programme, exit,follow-up.Content dimension - Marketing, information, guidance by means ofdifferent communication channels and methods, and the focus ofthecounselling practice during different phases of the study path.35The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandArea dimension - Psycho-social support, personal guidance, careerguidance, educational guidance.Responsibility dimension - There must be an institutional plan, whichdescribes the areas of responsibilities for staff members producingguidance and counselling services in different phases ofthe student'slearning programmes.Methodological dimension - Description ofthe methods and facilities,which are in use and how these methods are used.This model allows variations ofthe service delivery modes. It also helps toillustrate the services which can be seen by the users (the 'front office') and themechanismwhichisplanningandmanagingtheservices(the'backoffice').The model can be completed in more details by the various stakeholders ininstitutional level. The time before pre-entry phase is also included in the modelin educational establishments. Planning and co-operation ofthe staffbeforethe following study term and student election is included in the model. In eachspringthestaff shouldevaluatehowtheyhavemanagedtoreachthegoalssettled for guidance and counselling and after that plan again how guidanceand counselling services will be organised in the following year.The evaluations ofcounselling and guidance services revealed that the serviceshave not been able to meet the growing need ofcounselling among studentsin every educational stage. On institutional level the feedback mechanisms areweak and there is a need for stronger strategic planning and leadership in theguidance delivery.The ministry ofEducation and the National Board ofEducation have alreadytaken concrete steps to promote guidance policies and practice. These stepsare concrete evidences ofthe effectiveness ofthe evaluation processes. At theendof 2003theNationalBoardof Educationexecutesthenewnationalguidelines for guidance provision and career education in comprehensive andupper secondary level general education. These guidelines describe the overallgoalsof guidanceandtheminimumlevelof thecontentof thecurricula.Additionally the municipalities are required to provide a strategic and operationalplanfortheguidanceprovisionandtheregularevaluationof services.Thenewcurriculumguidelinesforvocationaleducationwereexecutedin1999.These guidelines follow the same principals as those ofgeneral education.36The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandInadditiontothenewguidelinestheNationalBoardofEducation(NBE)has also made the following national initiatives to promote the guidance policiesand practices:1) Development ofthe overall provision ofguidance and counsellingservices in educational settings. External support for educationalinstitutes in comprehensive and secondary level and adulteducation. Support for regional projects related to transition phasesand cross-sectoral cooperation.2) Training ofschool staffand municipal officials for implementationofthe new curriculum guidelines.3) Evaluation ofguidance provision. Development ofcriteria andmethodology. National Web-based questionnaire for institutionalevaluation is developed in NBE.4) National programme for in-service training ofstudent counsellors.The goal is to develop professional expertise ofpractitioners.Development ofmethodology and materials in CareerManagement. Student counsellor training units: development ofinitial training.5) Training ofregional consultants who are working as studentcounsellors in different educational settings. The regionalconsultants organise and produce in-service training for teachers inbasic guidance skills and essence ofguidance services. Incooperation with the Ministry ofEducation NBE is influencingteacher training units and teacher training programmes to includeguidance issues in training ofthe future teachers.The other group ofregional consultants provides in-service training forstudent counsellors in developing web-based counselling skills. National3-level in-service training programme for practitioners is developed inNBE.6) Management skills ofthe principals, knowledge on guidance.Holisticapproach and understanding ofguidance goals and services. NBE: thegoal is to influence the content ofthe initial and in-service training ofschool principals.37The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in Finland7) Guidance services for students with special needs. Training for guidanceprofessionals in skills to meet students with special needs. Skills for cross-sectoral co-operation. Student counsellor training units: counsellortraining programmes and in-service training for counsellors.8) Co-operation with labour market. Integrated and embedded in nationalcurriculum guidelines.9) Guidance in transition phases. Guidance in transitional phases will bedeveloped by means ofcross-sectoral co-operation: NBE, Ministry ofLabour, Ministry ofEducation and Ministry for Social Affairs and Health,and National joint expert group.On comprehensive and secondary level the National Board ofEducationwill implement next year a web-based service to support the institutionalevaluation ofguidance. National in-service training and regional pilotprojects will also be promoted. One strategic initiative is to embedguidance policy issues in national in-service training programs forprincipals and school administration personnel.Within higher education during the next annual contract between theuniversities and the ministry ofeducation all the universities must beable to provide a concrete plan how they are improving the guidanceprovision. Additionally, they must have a strategy how they are promotingguidance issues within the development ofnew study programs. Withinpolytechnics the Ministry ofEducation is funding regional projects indeveloping guidance provision.39The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandRaimo Vuorinen & Helena KasurinenPromoting National Guidance PoliciesThe Institute for Educational Research at the University ofJyvskyl togetherwith the Ministry ofEducation, Ministry ofLabour and the National BoardofEducation hosted a national seminar entitled: "The future ofguidance andcounsellinginFinland20022012?-AnationalseminaronpoliciesforInformation,GuidanceandCounselling".Thegoalof theseminarwastosummarise the results ofthe national parallel evaluations on guidance provisionandpromotefurtherdiscussionsonguidancepoliciesinthenextnationalstrategyforeducationandresearch20032008.Theseminarorganiserpublishedalsoabook"GuidanceandcounsellinginFinland2002".Thispublication provides background materials for national joint discussions aroundthe results ofthese national evaluations.The national guidance policy seminar hosted about 250 delegates, policy leaders,regional authorities, trainers, researchers, stake holders and practitioners. Thedelegates were representing both the educational sector and public employmentservices. The role ofguidance in preventing social exclusion was emphasisedin key note speeches. The importance oflong term strategic development tomeetthechallengesof therecentlypublishedevaluationreportswasalsohighlighted.Duringthesecondseminardaytherewereeightparallelworkshopsforfollowing themes:- Why guidance matter for public policy?- Guidance policies in comprehensive and secondary level education.- Guidance policies in higher education.- Guidance policies in adult education.- Guidance policies in public employment services.- Policies for multicultural guidance?- National policies for ICT in guidance.- Policies for training ofcareer professionals, guidance policieswithin the training programmes.40The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandThe overall focus however, was life long and life wide guidance and counselling.The workshops made concrete initiatives for further development.The mostcrucial policy statement was the lack oftrained practitioners. The participantspromotedmorecoherentnationalandregionalstrategiesforcross-sectoralco-operation.Thereisalsoastrongneedtobenchmarkgoodpractisesininstitutional guidance provision. There is a need for policies for guidance withintransitional stages during life long learning processes. The practitioners needalso learning environments for maintaining and developing their professionalexpertiseandpromotingregionalguidancepolicies.Oneconcreteproposalwastofurtherdevelopthecurrentweb-basedresourcecentre(http://www.asiantuntijaluotsi.net) from this perspective. The aim ofthe service is tocoordinatenationalnetworksinguidanceandtosupporttheprofessionaldevelopmentof theirmembers.Anothergoalistostrengthencooperationbetween different bodies and sectors ofgovernment in the field ofguidance.The service provides currently tools for sharing policy documents among policyleaders and practitioners. It provides also materials for local policy decisions.Theservicehostsalsomailinglistsanddiscussiongroupsfornationalandregionalpurposes.Oneof thenewfeatureswillbeanationaldatabaseofguidanceproviders.Thiswillhelpcommunicationamongthepractitionersand policy makers.41The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandReferencesGuidance. Educational and Vocational Guidance in Finland. 2001. MinistryofLabour, Ministry ofEducation, National Board ofEducation & CIMO.Hakulinen,R.&Kasurinen,H.(2002)Ohjausammattikorkeakoulu-opiskelijoidenpalvelujrjestelmn-luonnosohjauksenkehittmiseksiH-meen ammattikorkeakoulussa. [Guidance as an overall service for students ina polytechnic - a framework for guidance services in Hme polytechnic].PoliciesforInformation,GuidanceandCounsellingServices.Nationalquestionnaire, Finland. 2002. OECD.Vuorinen, R. & Kasurinen, H. (Eds.) Ohjaus Suomessa 2002 (Counselling inFinland 2002). 2002. Jyvskyl. Institute for Educational Research.42The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandAppendix 1The Finnish Educational SystemThe Finnish educational system is described in Figure A. The children startthe pre-school education as 6-years-olds. Compulsory education begins in theautumn ofthe year a child turns to seven. The comprehensive school lastsnine years. There are not any different educational tracks inside the Finnishcomprehensive education but the students study according to nearly similarstudy programme. In the new distribution ofteaching hours for comprehensiveeducation (2002) there are 13 annual week lessons for elective studies duringthe nine years.The compulsory education ends at the age 16, but virtually nearly all youngpeople remain in full-time education for a further three years either continuingtheirgeneraleducationintheuppersecondarygeneralschools(54%)orenteringthevocationaleducation(36%).Compulsoryschoolsalsooffervoluntary extra study opportunities, additional 10th form for those who havenot managed to get a study place in further education institutions (about 3 %in age group). About 7 % in each age group remains outside the school systemafter compulsory education.Uppersecondaryschoolsprovidegeneraleducation.Uppersecondaryeducation leads to the national matriculation examination. Students in uppersecondary education can plan their personal study plan within the limits ofcourse supply and the maximum time allowed for completing studies.In Finland the vocational system is highly developed and young people canselectfromover100differentfields.Studentcounsellorsplayasignificantrole in guiding young people to choose from this wide range ofvocationalalternatives. Although an apprenticeship system exists, very few young peopleselect that track.Students ofupper secondary general and vocational schools can also includecoursesfromothereducationalandtraininginstitutionsintheirstudyprogramme. Students in vocational schools can select courses offered by uppersecondary schools, and students in upper secondary schools can include theirstudy programme vocational schools' courses. This kind ofpossibility to planpersonal study programmes increases the need for counselling services in botheducational settings.43The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandBoth the students who have chosen the upper secondary general educationand those who have studied in vocational education can continue their studieseither in universities or polytechnics.Theprimarywaytoapplyforadmissiontouppersecondaryeducationinstitutions, upper secondary schools, vocational schools and folk high schools,andtopolytechnicsinthehighereducationsector,isthenationaljointapplicationsystem.Mostofthestudentsareselectedonthebasisoftheirschool certificates and grades. Generally, the universities select their studentsonthebasisof thecombinationof thegradesandtheresultsof entranceexaminations.44The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandFinnish education pdf45The State of Educational Guidande and Councelling in FinlandWritersHelenaKasurinen,PhD,Counsellorof Education.NationalBoardofEducation.Ulla Numminen, M.A., Counsellor of Education. National Board of EducationRaimo Vuorinen, Researcher, Licensiate ofEducation, Institute for EducationalResearch, University ofJyvskyl