Study title

Vocational School Student Survey 2019

Dataset ID Number

FSD3484

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3484
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3484

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Research Foundation for Studies and Education (Otus)
• National Union of Vocational Students in Finland (SAKKI)

Abstract

The Vocational School Student Survey (VET Student Survey) 2019 is a total study charting experiences of young people studying in Finnish vocational education institutions. The survey was conducted by the Research Foundation for Studies and Education (Otus) in collaboration with the National Union of Vocational Students in Finland (SAKKI), which also funded the study with funding received from the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. Main themes of the survey included applying for studies, experiences relating to studies and teaching, financial circumstances, plans for the future and working life, and wellbeing and leisure time.

First, the respondents were asked about their studies at present with questions concerning, for instance, their field of education, how they financed their living costs during studies, and whether they were studying towards a dual or double degree. Questions also surveyed how the respondents had entered their studies (via the joint application system or continuous admission), whether their current field of education had been their first choice when applying, and whether they had began their studies straight away in the autumn after completing comprehensive school. The respondents' decision to apply for vocational studies was further examined with questions regarding, for instance, whether vocational studies had been discussed or recommended in their families or at school, whether their friends or siblings currently studied or had previously studied in a vocational institution, and how clear the decision to opt for vocational studies had been. The respondents were also asked whether they had worked or completed other studies before starting vocational studies, and how they had performed in earlier education.

The respondents' experiences of studies and teaching were examined with questions about the time spent on studies in a week, form and sufficiency of the teaching and guidance received, balancing and managing studies, and the atmosphere of their school and study community. Further questions focused on the respondents' opinions on the personalisation of studies and competence-based studying, including, for instance, whether they thought they were able to influence what and how they studied and whether their career plans had been taken into account in their study plan. Opinions were also charted regarding on-the-job learning. Possible learning difficulties and support received for these difficulties were surveyed next. With regard to study progress, satisfaction with studies and the institution itself was charted as well as feelings of studying the right field, prospects of graduating, things slowing down study progress, and views on the importance of vocational studies.

Working, housing and financial circumstances were investigated by asking about working during studies and in the summer, housing during the semesters, financial help from parents and relatives, and sufficiency of money for expenses. Concerning occupational life, opinions were probed on a number of statements about employment as well as employment prospects after graduation, and views on the importance of various things for a successful career. Future plans to study were surveyed. Well-being and leisure time were examined with questions about friends, social relationships, bullying and discrimination, sleep, hobbies, and Internet and social media use. Finally, the respondents' values and attitudes were examined with a set of statements including, for example, whether they thought income differences should be reduced, environmental protection should be the first priority, and Finland's EU membership was a good thing.

Background variables included the respondent's year of birth, gender, and mother tongue. The time the respondent had lived in Finland was further charted, along with languages spoken with parents, and parents' employment status and education level.

Keywords

education; educational guidance; educational institutions; expectation; labour and employment; leisure time; living conditions; occupational life; occupational training; students; teaching; upper secondary education; vocational education; well-being (society)

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Vocational education and training (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Vocational School Student Surveys

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (A) openly available for all users without registration (CC BY 4.0).

Data Collector

• Research Foundation for Studies and Education
• National Union of Vocational Students in Finland

Time Period Covered

2019

Collection Dates

• 2019-04-15 – 2019-06-03
• 2019-08-19 – 2019-10-18

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Students in upper secondary level vocational education living in Finland (excluding the Åland Islands)

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Total universe/Complete enumeration

The study did not form a sample of individual respondents, but the questionnaire was shared with all vocational institutions providing education and training in continental Finland. Potential respondents included all students completing a degree programme, further vocational qualification, specialist vocational qualification, preparatory education (e.g. preparatory education for vocational training (VALMA) or preparatory education for work and independent living (TELMA)), other vocational education, or part of a degree or a shorter study module. To reach as many respondents as possible, the vocational institutions were encouraged to participate in the study. In contacting the institutions, attention was especially paid to institutions that provide adult education programmes as well as education for students who speak a language other than Finnish or Swedish as their mother tongue. Representatives of the institutions were asked to arrange responding to occur during classes in the presence of a teacher or other group instructor, but the institutions could also arrange responding in some other way if necessary (e.g. because of on-the-job training). In total, 9,584 students responded to the survey. 3,483 students responded in the spring and 6,101 in the autumn. Responses were received from 59 institutions, resulting in a response rate of 37%.

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: 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

332 variables and 9584 cases.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

The questionnaire was modified while data collection was still taking place. Respondents in the spring and autumn collection rounds can be differentiated using the variable [kierros]. The questionnaire was first open in the spring between 15 April and 3 June 2019, and after a few modifications were made, in the autumn between 19 September and 18 October 2019. The modifications were made based on feedback received from the participating vocational institutions. The modifications that were made are documented at the end of the questionnaire.

The researcher anonymised the data by categorising the following background information given by the respondent: unique identifier of vocational institution, degree title, age, mother tongue, and length of residence in Finland. In the field of education variable, which was formed by categorising responses, very small categories were marked as missing information. The respondent's postal code, feedback on the survey and open-ended responses were removed from the data.

The data do not contain open-ended variables or open-ended responses to response option "Other, please specify".

Weighting

Weight2: analysis weight 2 (age group, gender, Regional State Administrative Agency (AVI) of the vocational institution, field of education 1 specified using open-ended responses): The weight variable [weight2] is an analysis weight which aims to correct for unit non-response. The formation of the weight is based on statistical information on the number of students registered as attending in 2018. Statistics on education are available through Vipunen, the education administration's reporting portal: New students, students and qualifications in vocational education and training (Ammatillisen koulutuksen uudet opiskelijat, opiskelijat ja tutkinnon suorittaneet). https://vipunen.fi/fi-fi/_layouts/15/xlviewer.aspx?id=/fi-fi/Raportit/Ammatillinen%20koulutus%20-%20analyysi.xlsb (retrieved in autumn 2019, available only in Finnish). The weight was formed in stages so that each variable that was taken into account in the weighting further specified the weight assigned to each respondent. The variables included age group, gender, Regional State Administrative Agency (AVI) of the vocational institution, and field of education (Statistics Finland's field of education 1). For the field of education variable, students of education, social sciences and natural sciences were not included in the weighting due to their small number in the sample. The variables were included in the weighting separately. In other words, the data were first weighted to correspond to population distribution of age groups. After age groups, the weight was specified in terms of the population distribution of gender. In forming the weight, possible differences in the distribution of gender between age groups in the population were not included. The mean of the analysis weight [weight2[ is 1, standard deviation 0.4399, minimum 0.31 and maximum 4.10.

Weight3 and Weight4: Analysis weight in which the distribution of gender has been acknowledged regarding field of education: Analysis weight 3 corresponds to analysis weight 2, but it also weights the data according distribution of gender between different fields of education. The mean of the analysis weight [weight3] is 1, standard deviation 0.5378, minimum 0.01 and maximum 6.55. Analysis weight 4 includes only gender, field of education and distribution of gender between fields of education. The mean of the analysis weight [weight4] is 1, standard deviation 0.3717, minimum 0.01 and maximum 3.59. Using the weights [weight3] and [weight4] can be considered when it is necessary to specifically include the differences in distribution of gender between fields of education. The extremes of these weights can be attributed to missing information and information anonymised as missing on the respondent's gender or field of education.

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) & National Union of Vocational Students in Finland (SAKKI): Vocational School Student Survey 2019 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2020-11-24). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3484

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

Laaksonen, Aija (2021). Resurssi ei riitä! Erityistä tukea tarvitsevan opiskelijan ohjaus työpaikalla tapahtuvassa oppimisessa. Kasvatustieteiden pro gradu tutkielma. Turku: Turun yliopisto.

Kauppila, MInttu (2024). The Relationship Between Social and Academic Integration and Dropout from a Gender-Atypical Vocational Education. Master's thesis in Sociology. Turku: University of Turku.