The 21st century demands educational transformation, yet the pandemic revealed critical gaps in our approach. Through student voices from Lapland, Finland, a study attempted to explore what's missing: a holistic focus on learning experience, well-being and genuine connection, essential for future-ready learning.
The pandemic threw a curveball at education systems worldwide. Suddenly, schools were closed, and we saw firsthand the impact on students. Learning gaps emerged, particularly in core subjects, and many students struggled with the shift to remote learning, feeling isolated and lacking essential support. Even nations with robust digital infrastructure and smooth transformation like Finland weren't immune.
This crisis accelerated the need for significant educational changes. Issues that were previously considered as “long-term priorities”, like digital transformation and building student resilience, became immediate necessities. We realized the urgency of equipping students with 21st-century skills—critical thinking, digital literacy, and collaboration—to navigate an increasingly complex world. The pandemic served as a powerful catalyst, highlighting the need for education to adapt and evolve, ensuring it effectively prepares students for the challenges and opportunities of the future. This calls for a collaborative effort, placing students at the core, while empowering educators, institutions, and all levels of stakeholders to drive recovery, resilience, and the necessary renewals for educational systems.
My master’s thesis presents insights of secondary students from the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic to the recovery period based on questionnaires answered by 116 grade-9 students studying in Lapland, Finland in April and May, 2024. The study focuses on 3 aspects including educational experience, psychosocial well-being, as well as engagement with local and traditional knowledge and practices. In nature, this study is powered by both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Besides 43 single-select multiple choice questions, 3 open-ended questions at the end of the questionnaire provide rooms for students to share their voice and for us to unearth the undiscovered. In terms of the theoretical framework, Deep learning theory (Fullan et al., 2017) provides a four-layer framework to generate the set of six global competencies that are essential for learners in their future working life. Furthermore, radical collegiality (Fielding, 1999) highlighted the focal role of deeper engagement beyond student voice and student agency to empower the new learning partnership with teachers, families and communities. Together, they plait a well-done braid to form a theoretical foundation for this study. This study is conducted in REAP - Resilient Experiences and Agency of Youth and Children During the Pandemic: Re-visioning Education through Storytelling - project that compares the experiences of young people in Canada, Finland, and the UK. In this study, the responses of the young people from Finland are investigated.
The research results revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly reshaped young people's lives, particularly in education and well-being whilst less significantly when it comes to leveraging traditional and local knowledge and practices. Online learning offered increased time, flexibility, and a degree of productivity. However, remote instruction hasn't fully replaced all essential aspects of traditional learning environments. Factors such as digital competency preparation, peer interaction, and teaching support require more attention and careful consideration in teaching plan designs. A blended learning approach could potentially leverage the strengths of both platforms while mitigating their weaknesses. The research also highlights the significance of sleep quality, physical activity, and social interaction for psychosocial well-being. Notably, when being asked about “What do you miss about life during the pandemic?”, students expressed a need for more sleep and activeness, emphasizing the equal importance of considering physical well-being alongside psychosocial factors. Furthermore, the study revealed that while students acknowledged the importance of local and traditional knowledge, their engagement with related family and local activities was not commensurate in both the pandemic's onset and the recovery period. Overall, this study underscores the importance of incorporating students' perspectives in developing educational strategies and evaluation criteria, as their reported challenges illuminate the gap created by the shift from on-site to online learning. At the end of the day, students are the main subject, the source and the master of their own learning journey.
If every cloud has a silver lining, then perhaps one positive outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic is its role in breaking the stagnation in education. By listening to student voices, we can pave the way for meaningful transformation in teaching and learning.
Vu Nguyen Vinh Ha
University of Lapland
Faculty of Education
This blog post is based on my master's thesis “'Finnish Students’ Educational Provision Experience Towards Resilience, Recovery And Renewal Of Education Systems”.
References
Fielding, M. (1999). Radical collegiality: Affirming teaching as an inclusive professional practice. The Australian Educational Researcher, 26(2), 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03219692
Fullan, M., Quinn, J., & McEachen, J. (2017). Deep learning: Engage the World Change the World. Corwin.
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