Study title

Multiple Rights to Study of Higher Education Students 2019

Dataset ID Number

FSD3389

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3389

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Research Foundation for Studies and Education (Otus)

Abstract

The survey charted the reasons and factors behind higher education students having multiple rights to study in tertiary education in Finland. In this study, the notion of multiple rights to study covers simultaneous, consecutive or unconnected (at several points in time) rights to study in higher education institutions. The study was funded by the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL).

First, the respondents' social background was charted with statements concerning, for example, whether their parents had always encouraged them to study, whether their relatives had higher education degrees and whether their family thought that studying in higher education required exceptional talent. The respondents were asked about their reasons for starting their first higher education studies (e.g. it was important for their parents that they applied to higher education, they didn't have a clear idea of what they wanted to study, their friends applied to the same higher education institution).

Next, the respondents' reasons for acquiring a second right to study were examined. Reasons relating to studying included, for example, feeling that the first studies were too difficult and finding a more interesting field of study. Reasons relating to working life and employment included, among others, preferring to be a student over being unemployed and wanting to develop vocational or professional skills. Reasons relating to family, housing and life in general included, for example, feeling a strong calling to the new field of study and wanting to study in the same place where a spouse or partner lived.

Finally, the respondents were asked whether they had more than two rights to study in higher education, how many study credits they had received during their entire higher education studies, and whether they had at present or in the past had a study right for postgraduate studies (doctoral studies) or in a higher education institution abroad. The respondents were also asked to what extent they agreed or disagreed with statements concerning various reasons for applying to higher education (e.g. supporting the welfare and well-being of others, parents' disappointment in not acquiring a higher education degree).

Background variables included the respondent's gender, age group (categorised based on year of birth) and information on the respondent's upper secondary education. Additionally, the highest level of education of the respondent's parents as well as their occupation during the respondent's last year in basic education were charted.

Keywords

education; educational certificates; graduates; higher education institutions; qualifications; tertiary education; upper secondary education

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Higher and further education (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Social and occupational mobility (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

• Salminen, Tuukka (Research Foundation for Studies and Education)
• Murto, Virve (Research Foundation for Studies and Education)

Data Producers

• National Union of University Students in Finland

Time Period Covered

1950 – 2019

Collection Dates

2019-03-01 – 2019-03-31

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Persons who were attending university students in March 2019 and who have had more than one right to study in higher education, with at least one right to study in Finnish higher education institutions

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Availability

An open link to the questionnaire was shared by the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) through student unions. The link was sent to higher education students registered as attending students. 786 respondents participated in the quantitative study, and 692 respondents consented to the archiving of the anonymised data at FSD.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

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: Finnish.

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

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

To prevent identification of participants, the following variables were categorised by the researcher: t_2 denoting year of birth, a_5 denoting municipality of residence at the time of graduation from upper secondary education, a_7 denoting second upper secondary education degree, a_4, a_8, c_17, d_27, e_41 and f_46 denoting when the respondent started or completed their studies in upper secondary and higher education, and t_9ab and t_10ab denoting the highest level of education and occupation of the respondent's parents.

Open-ended responses were not delivered to FSD.

Weighting

The data contain a weight variable that weights the data to be representative of the presumed gender distribution in the population. The presumption is based on information on the gender distribution of higher education students between 2015 and 2017, received from the Finnish National Board of Education's Vipunen education statistics service.

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

Research Foundation for Studies and Education (Otus): Multiple Rights to Study of Higher Education Students 2019 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2020-06-29). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3389

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 Materials

Salminen, Tuukka & Murto, Virve (2019). Monta opinto-oikeutta: Tutkimus useamman opinto-oikeuden hankkimiseen johtaneista syistä ja tekijöistä [verkkodokumentti]. Opiskelun ja koulutuksen tutkimussäätiö Otus sr (6/2019). https://syl.fi/syl_moninkertaiset_opinto-oikeudet_raportti/ [viitattu 30.6.2020].

Related Publications

Salminen, Tuukka & Murto, Virve (2019). Monta opinto-oikeutta: Tutkimus useamman opinto-oikeuden hankkimiseen johtaneista syistä ja tekijöistä [verkkodokumentti]. Opiskelun ja koulutuksen tutkimussäätiö Otus sr (6/2019). https://syl.fi/syl_moninkertaiset_opinto-oikeudet_raportti/ [viitattu 30.6.2020].

Salmi, Mari (2022). "Ahdistaa, tuntuu että muut pärjäävät ja itse en selviä". Opiskelijoiden kokema epävarmuus opintoalavalintaansa kohtaan. Kasvatustieteiden ja kulttuurin tiedekunnan pro gradu -tutkielma. Tampere: Tampereen yliopisto. https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202204273875