Study title

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

Dataset ID Number

FSD2318

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2318

Data Type

Qualitative

Authors

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

Abstract

This qualitative dataset is part of a study charting the integration of foreign university and university of applied sciences students into the Finnish society. In the individual semi-structured interviews, the interviewees were asked whether they had visited Finland before starting their studies and the reason for choosing Finland and their university. Satisfaction with teaching, guidance, services, and the progression of their studies were canvassed, as well as the funding of the studies and experiences in the Finnish labour market. In addition, the respondents answered questions on housing, leisure time, studies, work, and cultural differences. They were also asked whether they considered it possible to stay in Finland permanently, what were the advantages or disadvantages of being a foreigner in Finland, and how they experienced Finnish culture and society compared to their home country and other countries where they had lived in.

The archived data contain anonymised transcriptions of eight interviews, six in English and two in Finnish.

Keywords

employment; foreigners; higher education institutions; immigrants; living abroad; social adjustment; social integration; students (college); 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
• Centre for International Mobility

Time Period Covered

2002

Collection Dates

2002 – 2002

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Foreign students living in Finland

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Purposive

An effort was made to select interviewees from a range of educational backgrounds, nationalities, undergraduate and postgraduate students and higher education institutions across the country. Some interviewees were recruited through personal contacts of the researcher. Most of the interviewees were contacted through address information that were obtained during the survey (FSD 1269) data collection.

Collection Mode

Face-to-face interview

Research Instrument

Interview scheme and/or themes

Data File Language

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

Qualitative data are available in their original language only and are not translated.

Data Version

1.0

Related Datasets

FSD1269 Foreign Students in Finland's Higher Education Institutions 2002

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

The researcher transcribed the interviews summarizing them. Direct and indirect indentifiers were removed or replaced in anonymisation.

Altogether 16 interviews were conducted for the study, eight of which were archived.

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)): Interviews of Foreign Students in Finland's Higher Education Institutions 2002 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2008-01-24). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2318

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.