Study title

Upper Secondary School Student Barometer 2024

Dataset ID Number

FSD3963

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3963
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3963

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Research Foundation for Studies and Education (Otus)

Abstract

The aim of the upper secondary school student barometer is to collect information on the studies and everyday life of upper secondary school students. The survey covers topics such as applying to upper secondary school, current studies, study environment, teaching and guidance, study skills, study progress, thoughts about the future, well-being, livelihood, housing, inappropriate conduct, and values and attitudes. The survey was carried out by the Research Foundation for Studies and Education (Otus) and the Union of Upper Secondary School Students in Finland with funding from the Ministry of Education and Culture.

First, respondents were asked, among other things, about their reasons for applying to upper secondary school. They were also asked how well the studies at upper secondary school corresponded to their expectations and how many hours per week they spent studying. Regarding the study environment, various statements were made about the facilities and the learning materials and equipment. They were also asked about the impact of smartphones on learning.

Afterwards, the respondents were asked what they thought about the teaching and guidance provided by the institution and were asked to answer questions about their study skills. They were also asked about the progress of their studies and whether something had been holding their studies back. Respondents were also asked whether they thought they would graduate. In addition, respondents were asked whether they had considered transferring to a vocational school or dropping out of studies. This was followed by questions about the matriculation exams, for example which subjects the respondent intended to take in the matriculation exams and what influenced these choices.

Questions about the future included for example, whether they plan to continue their studies after upper secondary school and what disciplines they are interested in. They were also asked about the kind of things they would like to have in their future working life. In terms of well-being, the respondent's perceived state of health was asked and general statements about well-being were made. This was followed by questions on the respondents' sources of income, employment and housing. Finally, respondents were asked whether they had experienced inappropriate conduct in upper secondary school and, through general current social statements, about their values and attitudes.

Background variables include gender, age, mother tongue, parents' work status, parents' educational level, whether they experience a minority status, number of years of study, size of the educational institution, municipality and admission level of the educational institution.

Keywords

attitudes; education; educational courses; educational institutions; expectation; leisure time; occupational life; students; teaching; upper secondary education; upper secondary schools

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Higher and further education (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

• Research Foundation for Studies and Education

Funders

• Ministry of Education and Culture (va-okm-2022-1-49)

Time Period Covered

2024

Collection Dates

2023-12-01 – 2024-02-08

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

In Finland, those studying in an upper secondary school, including upper secondary school for adult students and those pursuing a combined qualification

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Total universe/Complete enumeration

All institutions providing upper secondary education in Finland were invited to participate in the study in the autumn of 2023. The principal of each upper secondary school decided whether the institution would participate in the data collection or not. Research permits were requested from the institutions or education providers that registered to participate. In some cases, the education provider granted a research permit to all institutions under its administration, in which case the survey link and instructional materials were also sent to institutions that had not registered. However, the institutions themselves decided on their participation.

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 researcher has anonymised the data by classifying background variables such as: number of students in the institution, entry level of the institution, age, mother tongue, type of upper secondary school, grade average, type of housing and housing costs. The variables indicating the place of residence and location of the educational institution are also coarsened.

Weighting

The data contains multiple weight variables and the data is weighted in an attempt to improve the generalisability of the data. PK_avi weights the data according to the Regional State Administrative Agency region of the educational institution, PK_kr weights the data according to the municipality group of the educational institution, PK_avi_kr weights the data according to the municipality group and Regional State Administrative Agency region of the educational institution, PK_vl weights the data according to the year grade, PK_ely weights the data according to the ELY centre of the educational institution and PK_ely_kr_vl weights the data according to the ELY centre, municipality group and year grade of the educational institution.

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): Upper Secondary School Student Barometer 2024 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2025-05-08). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3963; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3963

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

Fagerlund, Veera (2025) Lukio-opiskelun psyykkisen kuormittavuuden taustatekijät. Ohjausalan pro gradu -tutkielma. Kasvatustieteen ja psykologian laitos. Jyväskylän yliopisto. https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202504253499