Study title

Foreign Students in Finland's Higher Education Institutions 2002

Dataset ID Number

FSD1269

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD1269

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Kinnunen, Taina (Student Research Foundation (Otus))

Abstract

The survey charted foreign students' experiences when studying in higher education institutions in Finland and their integration into Finnish society. Respondents were asked whether they had visited Finland before starting their studies and the reason for choosing Finland and their university/polytechnic. Satisfaction with the teaching, guidance, services, progression of their studies and housing were canvassed. Respondents were asked to name the most positive and negative things in their institution and in Finnish society. Some questions focused on credits earned, degree aimed at and future study plans. Respondents were also asked whether they would prefer to study in some other country and would they continue their studies in Finland if tuition fees were introduced.

Funding of the studies was examined. Working respondents were asked whether the work corresponded with their education and prior work experience, how they had learned about the job, what languages they used at work, and what their employment history in Finland was. Satisfaction with the nature of the job, salary and social atmosphere was charted.

Respondents were asked how long they had been in the country, whether their motivation and plans for studying had changed during their stay and what were the advantages or disadvantages of being a foreigner in Finland. Further questions surveyed in which situations respondents felt conscious of their own cultural background, what they missed most about their home country and how would they advise a friend planning to move to Finland. Future plans about studies and staying in Finland were charted. One theme pertained to students' social life (e.g. satisfaction with it, contacts). Values were studied by asking whether career, high income, children, relationships, religion etc. were important to the respondent.

Background variables included respondents' age, sex, citizenship, marital status, mother tongue, children, length of stay in Finland, study institution, previous degrees and language skills.

Keywords

cultural integration; employment; foreign students; higher education institutions; immigration; social adjustment; social integration; social interaction; tertiary education

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Humanities (Fields of Science Classification)
• Cultural and national identity (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Minorities (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• Kinnunen, Taina (Student Research Foundation)

Data Producers

• Student Research Foundation

Time Period Covered

2002

Collection Dates

2002-06-01 – 2002-11-30

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Foreign students studying in Finnish higher education institutions (excluding Helsinki University students)

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Systematic random

The sample was formed by selecting every other foreign student, in alphabetical order, from the student registers of all higher education institutions in Finland (except the University of Helsinki).

The questionnaire was sent to ever other foreign student studying for a degree in any polytechnic or university in Finland, except the University of Helsinki. Polytechnics and universities were asked to produce postal and e-mail addresses of every other foreign student in their registers (in alphabetical order). Some institutions provided only postal addresses. The majority provided all addresses, but some institutions left out the addresses of those student who had specifically forbidden the institution to give out their contact information. The study aimed at a 50% sample of all foreign students, so the sample from some institutions was bigger to cover for missing addresses. The questionnaire was sent both by post and e-mail to those students whose postal and e-mail addresses were known.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: E-mail

Self-administered questionnaire: Paper

Research Instrument

Semi-structured questionnaire

Response Rate

35

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: English and Finnish.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Number of Cases and Variables

412 variables and 873 cases.

Data Version

2.0

Related Datasets

FSD2318 Interviews of Foreign Students in Finland's Higher Education Institutions 2002

FSD2354 International Students in Finnish Universities 2007

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

Data about the main and secondary subjects of respondents (question 9) are missing.

Weighting

There are no weight variables in the data.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Kinnunen, Taina (Student Research Foundation (Otus)): Foreign Students in Finland's Higher Education Institutions 2002 [dataset]. Version 2.0 (2018-07-12). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD1269

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Publications

Kinnunen, Taina (2003). If I can find a good job after graduation, I may stay. Ulkomaalaisten tutkinto-opiskelijoiden integroituminen Suomeen. Helsinki: Kansainvälisen henkilövaihdon keskus CIMO & Opiskelijajärjestöjen tutkimussäätiö Otus rs. Occasional Paper 2B/2003.

Pajunen, Pauliina (2016) Vieraalla maalla. Kansainvälisten työntekijöiden haasteet työyhteisöön sovittautumisessa Helsingin yliopiston matemaattis-luonnontieteellisessä tiedekunnassa. Pro gradu -tutkielma. Kasvatustieteiden ja psykologian osasto, Itä-Suomen yliopisto.