FSD3952 Vocational School Student Survey 2022 (VET Student Survey)
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Study title
Vocational School Student Survey 2022 (VET Student Survey)
Dataset ID Number
FSD3952
Persistent identifiers
https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3952https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3952
Data Type
Quantitative
Authors
- Research Foundation for Studies and Education (Otus)
- National Union of Vocational Students in Finland
Abstract
The Vocational School Student Survey (VET Student Survey) 2022 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. 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 and how they financed their living costs during studies. Questions also surveyed how the respondents had entered their studies 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, and how clear the decision to opt for vocational studies had been. The respondents were also asked 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 and things slowing down study progress.
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.
Background variables included the respondent's age, 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 institutions; expectation; labour and employment; leisure time; living conditions; occupational life; occupational training; students; teaching; upper secondary education; vocational education; well-being (health); well-being (society)
Topic Classification
- Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
- Vocational education and training (CESSDA Topic Classification)
Series
Vocational School Student SurveysDistributor
Finnish Social Science Data Archive
Access
The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.
Data Collector
- Research Foundation for Studies and Education
- National Union of Vocational Students in Finland
Funders
- Ministry of Education and Culture (OKM/2/521/2021)
- Cooperative Tradeka
Time Period Covered
2022
Collection Dates
2021-11-22 – 2022-03-01
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. The questionnaire was addressed to all young people and adult students who, at the time of the data collection, were 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. Responses were received from a total of 80 education and training providers (56%) and 89 educational institutions. In total, 14.460 students responded to the survey.
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
The variables t_toimipaikka_kuntaryhma, t_toimipaikka_maakunta and t_toimipaikka_avi have been calculated on the basis of the location of the educational institution and do not have a direct match in the questionnaire.
The researchers have anonymised the data. For identification reasons, the variable describing the duration of residence in Finland (h75_luokiteltu), the variable describing the mother tongue (h74_luokiteltu), the variable describing the duration of studies (a5_luokiteltu), the variable describing age (t_ika_5), the variable describing living arrangements (e53_luokiteltu) and the variable describing the field of education (Koulutusala1) have been classified.
All open-ended responses were removed from the data at FSD for identification reasons.
Weighting
The data contains a weight variable (paino_ika3_sp_kieli), which weights the data by age, gender and native language of the respondent.
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: Vocational School Student Survey 2022 (VET Student Survey) [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2025-03-17). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3952; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3952
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.
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Study description in machine readable DDI-C 2.5 format
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